# sweater

Pronunciation: US say "SWET-ur" /ˈswɛtɚ/; say "SWET-uh" UK /ˈswɛtə/, AUS /ˈswetə/

## Noun

1. A knitted garment that covers the upper body, worn for warmth. *(US)*
   - Simple: A warm knitted piece of clothing that you wear on the top half of your body.
   - _He layered a wool sweater over his shirt before heading out into the snow._
   - _The store's fall collection features chunky cable-knit sweaters in earth tones._
2. A knitted jersey or jacket, typically of heavy wool, that an athlete wears while warming up or cooling down from exercise.
   - Simple: A thick knitted top that athletes put on to stay warm before or after they exercise.
   - _The boxer shrugged off his sweater as he climbed into the ring._
   - _Rowers pulled thick wool sweaters over their singlets as soon as they came off the water._
4. One who sweats; a person who produces sweat.
   - Simple: A person who sweats.
   - _As a profuse sweater, he schedules his long runs for the cool early morning._
   - _Sports physicians remind heavy sweaters to replace lost electrolytes during long workouts._
5. Someone or something that causes a person to sweat.
   - Simple: A person or thing that makes you sweat.
   - _Everyone agreed the noon shift at the foundry was a sweater._
   - _The trainer's hill drills are notorious sweaters among the rowing squad._
6. A remedy that induces sweating; a diaphoretic.
   - Simple: A medicine or drink that makes your body sweat.
   - _The apothecary recommended a sweater of elderflower tea to break the patient's fever._
   - _Herbal manuals of the period ranked ginger and yarrow preparations among the most dependable sweaters._
7. An exploitative middleman in the tailoring trade who subcontracted piecework to others.
   - Simple: In the past, a boss who gave out sewing work to poor people and paid them very little.
   - _The sweater collected the finished coats each Friday and paid his needlewomen a fraction of what the shop charged._
   - _Victorian reformers campaigned against the sweaters who grew rich on home workers' long hours._

## Verb

3. To dress a person or animal in a sweater.
   - Simple: To put a sweater on a person or animal.
   - _He stopped to sweater the toddler against the October wind._
   - _Grandmother insisted on sweatering the twins before they could leave the house._

## Noun

8. A person who sweated coins, shaking them together so that small amounts of precious metal wore off for collection. *(archaic)*
   - Simple: Long ago, a person who shook coins together in a bag and kept the tiny bits of metal that rubbed off.
   - _A practiced sweater could shake a hundred guineas for an hour and gather a pinch of gold dust._
   - _Mint officials blamed sweaters and clippers alike for the lightness of the circulating coin._
9. In Queen Anne's London, a street ruffian who amused himself by prodding passers-by with the point of his sword. *(obsolete, UK)*
   - Simple: Long ago in London, a street bully who poked people with the sharp point of his sword.
   - _A sweater cornered the young clerk near the tavern and pricked at his calves until he danced._
   - _The watch finally seized two sweaters who had terrorized Fleet Street for a month._

## Origin

From Middle English 'swētere', equivalent to 'sweat' plus the suffix '-er'.

Source: DictionaryAI, https://dictionaryai.com/define/sweater (written from Wiktionary data, CC BY-SA 4.0: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/).