swink Meaning, Definition & Usage

Swink intransitive verb
Etymology
AS. swincan, akin to swingan. See Swing.
Wordforms
imperfect Swank Swonk ; past participle Swonken ; present participle & verbal noun Swinking
Definitions
  1. To labor; to toil; to salve. Obs. or Archaic
    Or swink with his hands and labor. Chaucer.
    For which men swink and sweat incessantly. Spenser.
    The swinking crowd at every stroke pant "Ho." Sir Samuel Freguson.
Swink transitive verb
Definitions
  1. To cause to toil or drudge; to tire or exhaust with labor. Obs.
    And the swinked hedger at his supper sat. Milton.
  2. To acquire by labor. Obs. Piers Plowman.
    To devour all that others swink. Chaucer.
Swink noun
Etymology
As. swinc, geswinc.
Definitions
  1. Labor; toil; drudgery. Obs. Chaucer. Spenser.

Webster 1913