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prettygoodwordswage (SWAYJ) - n., a tool (such as a die or stamp) used by blacksmiths and metalworkers to bend or shape cold metal into a desired shape. v., to bend or shape using a swage, to reduce or taper as by forcing or squeezing.
Can also be done as a hot-metal process, but usually it's specifically done on cold metal. Stamping an ornamental border, forcing wire through a die to thin it, and so on. Dictionaries vary widely as to first use, citing either mid-14th century or early-19th century, which suggests to me that it went into abeyance before being reborrowed from French souage. Those that mention the Middle English version say that it meant specifically the ornamental border, so possibly those who claim a later borrowing are considering them two different words.
---L.
Can also be done as a hot-metal process, but usually it's specifically done on cold metal. Stamping an ornamental border, forcing wire through a die to thin it, and so on. Dictionaries vary widely as to first use, citing either mid-14th century or early-19th century, which suggests to me that it went into abeyance before being reborrowed from French souage. Those that mention the Middle English version say that it meant specifically the ornamental border, so possibly those who claim a later borrowing are considering them two different words.
---L.
