sweat

n. & v.
—n.
1 moisture exuded through the pores of the skin, esp. from heat or nervousness.
2 a state or period of sweating.
3 colloq. a state of anxiety (was in a sweat about it).
4 colloq. a drudgery, effort. b a laborious task or undertaking.
5 condensed moisture on a surface.
—v. (past and past part. sweated or US sweat)
1 intr. exude sweat; perspire.
2 intr. be terrified, suffering, etc.
3 intr. (of a wall etc.) exhibit surface moisture.
4 intr. drudge, toil.
5 tr. heat (meat or vegetables) slowly in fat or water to extract the juices.
6 tr. emit (blood, gum, etc.) like sweat.
7 tr. make (a horse, athlete, etc.) sweat by exercise.
8 tr. a cause to drudge or toil. b (as sweated adj.) (of goods, workers, or labour) produced by or subjected to long hours under poor conditions.
9 tr. subject (hides or tobacco) to fermentation in manufacturing.
Phrases and idioms:
by the sweat of one's brow by one's own hard work. no sweat colloq. there is no need to worry. sweat-band a band of absorbent material inside a hat or round a wrist etc. to soak up sweat. sweat blood colloq.
1 work strenuously.
2 be extremely anxious. sweat gland Anat. a spiral tubular gland below the skin secreting sweat. sweating-sickness an epidemic fever with sweating prevalent in England in the 15th-16th c. sweat it out colloq. endure a difficult experience to the end.
Etymology: ME swet(e), alt. (after swete v. f. OE swaeligtan OHG sweizzen roast) of swote f. OE swat f. Gmc