Meanings
nounaswail (plural not attested)
- datedno pluralThe sloth bear (Melursus ursinus), an India bear.
[…] mutilated parts of an Aswail from Ceylon together with parts of a three-toed Sloth […]
1953, Dirk Pieter Erdbrink, A Review of Fossil and Recent Bears of the Old World, volume 11 more example
An Aswail brought to me from the woods when quite young, and which lived some time in my possession, fed by choice almost exclusively upon roast mutton and fowl; rejecting all fruits and vegetables.
1832, William Henry Sykes, A Catalogue of the Mammalia and Birds Observed in Dukhun
Origin
From Marathi अस्वल (asval) or a related term in another Indian language.
Full word history & related roots →Rhymes & wordplay
Anagrams
Cite this entry
APA
aswail. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/aswail
MLA
“aswail.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/aswail. Accessed November 3, 2026.
Chicago
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “aswail,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/aswail.
Source: aswail on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.