Meanings
plural sweatings
- countableuncountableThe production and evaporation of a watery fluid called sweat that is excreted by the sweat glands in the skin of mammals.
Her jet-black hair would be heavily braided, and her face chalky-white from its coating of powder (she suffered from constant sweatings and seborrhoea).
1973, Oliver Sacks, Awakenings2 more examples
In its favour may be urged, I. That in healthy persons, in every case of increased action of the heart and arteries, a sweating takes place, and is, seemingly, the means of preventing the bad effects of such increased action.
1797, Colin Macfarquhar, George Gleig, Encyclopædia BritannicaIn this early stage there is generally a tendency to constipation of the bowels, and in the intervals between the sweatings the urine remains clear, though not abundant. In the second degree, the emaciation is more noticeable.
1870, Timothy Holmes, A System of Surgery: Theoretical and Practical, volume 1, page 288Synonyms: perspiration, diaphoresis, hidrosis, sudation, sudoresis
- gerundparticiplepresentpresent participle and gerund of sweat
comparative more sweating · superlative most sweating
- Giving off sweat.
A sweating man stepped out of the sauna, wrapping himself in a towel.
Synonyms: asweat, sudorific, sudoriferous, sweaty
Synonyms & antonyms
nounThe production and evaporation of a watery fluid called sweat that is excreted by the sweat glands in the skin of mammals.
adjectiveGiving off sweat.
More synonyms by meaning
nounthe process of the sweat glands of the skin secreting a salty fluid
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
- Middle Englishsweting
- Englishsweating
From Middle English sweting, swetynge, equivalent to sweat + -ing (gerund ending).
More words from Middle English
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Arabic عَرَق
- عَرَق (ʕaraq)bodily process
Chinese Mandarin 流汗, 汗
- 流汗 (liúhàn)bodily process
- 汗 (hàn)bodily process
Czech pocení, potící
- poceníbodily process
- potícígiving off sweat
Dutch zweet
- zweetbodily process
Esperanto ŝvita
- ŝvitagiving off sweat
Finnish hikoilu, hikoileminen
- hikoilubodily process
- hikoileminenbodily process
French transpiration
- transpirationbodily process
German Schwitzen
- Schwitzenbodily process
Greek εφίδρωση
- εφίδρωση (efídrosi)bodily process
Hungarian izzadás, verítékezés
- izzadásbodily process
- verítékezésbodily process
Irish allas
- allasbodily process
Italian sudore
- sudorebodily process
Japanese 汗
- 汗 (ase)bodily process
Korean 땀
- 땀 (ttam)bodily process
Latin perspīrāntia, perspīrātio
- perspīrāntiabodily process
- perspīrātiobodily process
- perspīrānsgiving off sweat
Norwegian Bokmål transpirasjon
- transpirasjonbodily process
Portuguese suor, transpiração
- suorbodily process
- transpiraçãobodily process
- perspiraçãobodily process
Russian поте́ние
- поте́ние (poténije)bodily process
Spanish sudoración, transpiración
- sudoraciónbodily process
- transpiraciónbodily process
Swedish svettning
- svettningbodily process
Cite this entry
sweating. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/sweating
“sweating.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/sweating. Accessed November 2, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “sweating,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/sweating.
Source: sweating on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.