sweater
noun
- a piece of clothing made out of knit or crocheted material
Wiktionary
Pronunciation: /ˈswɛtə/ / /ˈswɛtɚ/ / /-ɾɚ/
noun
Etymology: From Middle English swētere, equivalent to sweat + -er.
- A knitted jacket or jersey, usually of thick wool, worn by athletes before or after exercise.
- A similar garment worn for warmth.
“We could slip away / Wouldn't that be better? / Me with nothing to say / And you in your autumn sweater”
- One who sweats (produces sweat).
“The cardiologist who administered Alex's exercise stress test on August 21 observed during that test that Alex was a profuse sweater.”
- One who or that which causes to sweat.
“We learn of the cruelty of some school or child-factory from journalists; we learn it from inspectors, we learn it from doctors, we learn it even from shame-stricken schoolmasters and repentant sweaters; but we never learn it from the children; we never learn it from the victims.”
- A diaphoretic remedy.
- An exploitative middleman who subcontracted piece work in the tailoring trade.
“If the piecework system had not existed there never would have been any sweatees. The men who are sweaters, I am sorry to say, are men who formerly belonged to our union.”
- One who sweats coins, i.e. removes small portions by shaking them.
- A London street ruffian in Queen Anne's time who prodded passers-by with his sword-point.
“Among them were the "sweaters" who formed a circle round their prisoner and pricked him with their swords until he sank exhausted to the ground, […]”
verb
Etymology: From Middle English swētere, equivalent to sweat + -er.
- To dress in a sweater.