Word: swash Part of Speech: noun Etymology: Scandinavian. Compare Swedish dialect svasska, Norwegian svakka, English dialect swack (“a blow”). Pronunciation: /swɒʃ/, /swɑʃ/ 1. The water that washes up on shore after an incoming wave has broken. Labels: countable, uncountable Example: It is not the direct battering that breaks the dyke, but overtopping, when the flow of water sweeps away the inland face, so swash length is a vital thing to accommodate, and to do that you must make an estimate of the highest possible tides. Example: The first process occurs when swash mixes air and sand, trapping air bubbles just below the beach surface. 2. A narrow sound or channel of water lying within a sand bank, or between a sand bank and the shore, or a bar over which the sea washes. Labels: countable, uncountable Example: According to what you say about the shells, there ought to be a thousand flamingos feeding in this very swash at this instant. Example: Marks northwest junction of main and swash channels. 3. A wet splashing sound. Labels: countable, uncountable Example: As a first warning the boiling liquid lifts the cover and washes over it with a noisy swash and clatter. Example: The sound of the furious "swash, swash,” as it struck, carried even to the depths of the holds where the engines churned madly to keep the prow in the teeth of the waves. 4. A smooth stroke; a swish. Labels: countable, uncountable Example: Dip in and out quickly and with a swash three or four times. This serves to wash off the dust that has settled while the fruit is on the trays. Example: Then he cut down a long forked stick, the anti-ophidian of the poor, and probing with the stick in one hand, began to clean the yuca grove with the machete in the other, displaying the lazy elegance of an athlete – swash, swash, swash – free and easy but looking carefully at each detail. 5. A swishing noise. Labels: countable, uncountable Example: The swash of the whirling blades reminds me vaguely of the noise conifers make. Example: Nothing but more swash and click, until l heard... “Eurah!” Crunching! There it was: a definite crunching. 6. A long, protruding ornamental line or pen stroke found in some typefaces and styles of calligraphy. Labels: countable, uncountable Example: Yet Svvaſh-Letters, […] ought to have the Upper Sholder of that Svvaſh Sculped dovvn ſtraight, viz. to a Right Angle, or Square vvith the Face; […] Example: There is a group of decorative swash initials, too. 7. A streak or patch. Labels: countable, uncountable Example: On impulse he took Sunset through Brentwood and saw Cape Jessamines flaring pink above green lawns and here and there a yellow swash of jonquils. Example: Hank stared for a moment at the bloody swash across his hand. 8. Liquid filth; wash; hog mash. Labels: countable, obsolete, uncountable Example: And it setteth the soul at liberty, and maketh her free to follow the will of God and doth to the soul even as health doth unto the body; after that a man is pined and wasted away with a long soaking disease, the legs cannot bear him, he cannot lift up his hands to help himself, his taste is corrupt, sugar is bitter in his mouth, his stomach abhorreth [meat.] longing after slibbersause and swash, at which a whole stomach is ready to cast his gorge. 9. A blustering noise. Labels: countable, obsolete, uncountable 10. swaggering behaviour. Labels: countable, obsolete, uncountable Example: Some of you are making a great swash in life and after awhile will die, leaving your families beggars, and will expect us ministers of the Gospel to come and lie about your excellencies; but we will not do it. Example: He silently cursed the recently arrived Jessup, who was full of more swash than sense . 11. A swaggering fellow; a swasher. Labels: countable, obsolete, uncountable 12. An oval figure, whose mouldings are oblique to the axis of the work. Labels: countable, uncountable Example: The lathe was, in process of time, adapted to the production of oval figures, twisted and swash-work, as it is called, and, lastly, of rose-engine work. The swash, or raking mouldings, were employed in the balusters of staircases and other ornaments at the period of the "Renaissance" in architecture, about the end of the sixteenth century, and, therefore, the swash-lathe assumes somewhat of the character of a manufacturing machine. Example: The artisans of the Middle Ages were very skilful in the use of the lathe, and turned out much beautiful screen and stall work, still to be seen in our cathedrals, as well as twisted and swash-work for the balusters of staircases and other ornamental purposes.