swingling

verb

1. (form-of, gerund, participle, present)present participle and gerund of swingle

noun

1. (countable, uncountable)The act or process of beating flax in order to extract the fibres.

   “[…] then lay over these sticks, either a clean old blanket, or, if that be not at hand, a quantity of the swinglings of flax […]”