swot

Swot is mainly used in British English, and it has two common uses. First, as a noun, it refers to a person who studies a great deal. This person is usually seen as very serious about schoolwork, and sometimes other people use the word in an unfriendly or teasing way. If a classmate is always reading, revising, and getting top marks, someone might call them "a swot."

Second, as a verb, swot means to study very hard. People often use it when talking about preparing for an exam: "I need to swot tonight," or "They were swotting for their chemistry test." In this sense, it is close to "cram" or "study intensively," though swot sounds more British.

The word is useful because it does more than simply mean "student" or "study." It also carries a feeling. When used about a person, it can suggest that the person is academic, hardworking, and perhaps not very fun in the eyes of others. The tone depends on context: it may be playful, critical, or sometimes almost admiring.

So, if you see swot in a British novel, school story, or conversation, think of hard studying or of a very studious person. It is not a formal word, and it is much more common in everyday speech than in serious academic writing.