Verb
(third-person singular simple present forswallows, present participle forswallowing, simple past and past participle forswallowed)
Origin
From Middle English forswolewen, forswoluwen, forswolȝen, forswalȝen, forswelȝen, from Old English forswelgan, forswilgan (“to swallow up, devour, consume, absorb”), from Proto-Germanic *farswelganą, *fraswelganą (“to devour”), from Proto-Germanic *fra- + *swelganą (“to swallow”), equivalent to for- + swallow. Cognate with Dutch verzwelgen (“to engulf, swallow up”), Middle Low German vorswelgen (“to swallow up”), Middle High German verswelgen (“to swallow up”). More at for-, swallow.
