Definitions
from The Century Dictionary.
- noun A stone from the crop of a swallow, worn in ancient times as a charm.
from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.
- noun A small stone taken from the gizzard of a young swallow. -- anciently worn as a medicinal charm.
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.
- noun rare A
stone supposed to be taken from thestomach of aswallow , with purported magical or medicinal properties.
Etymologies
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License
Ultimately from Ancient Greek χελῑδών ("swallow").
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Examples
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In the belly of a swallow there is a stone found called chelidonius, [4150] which if it be lapped in a fair cloth, and tied to the right arm, will cure lunatics, madmen, make them amiable and merry.
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