Swealing

Part of speech: verb

Definitions

1. Scorching or charring slowly at the surface, as when something is singed by heat ; gradually melting or wasting away until little remains
2. Burning gently and scorching the surface of something ; slowly dwindling as it melts or is consumed away
3. Singeing or slowly scorching under steady heat ; steadily wearing away or melting until it is gone

Etymology: "Swealing" is the present participle of "sweal", a verb meaning to burn away slowly, smouldering rather than blazing. Its ancestry runs back to Old English "swelan", meaning to burn or be burnt up, and before that to a Proto-Germanic verb meaning to smoulder or burn slowly. The same root survives in modern German "schwelen", Dutch "zwelen" and Low German "swelen", all meaning to smoulder, so the sense of a slow, glowing burn has stayed remarkably stable across the Germanic languages for well over a thousand years. The most surprising twist is that the root also gave Icelandic "svala", meaning to cool. Proto-Germanic "*swelaną" was apparently broad enough to cover a "burningly cold" sensation, so the same ancient verb could describe both heat and cold, which is why "sweal" and the English word "swelter" are often linked as relatives.