Bosworth Toller's

Anglo-Saxon

Dictionary online

æ
þ

swíðe

  • adverb
Dictionary links
Grammar
swíðe, adv.
Wright's OE grammar
§553;
Very, much, exceedingly
Show examples

  • Tó ðam swíðe

    in tantum,

      Hpt. Gl. 509, 34.

  • Tó ðan swýðe

    adeo,

      Ælfc. Gr. 30; Zup. 193, 5.
with adjectives,
of quantity
Show examples

  • Mid swíþe manigre swétnesse,

      Bt. 7, 1; Fox 16, 11: 11, 1; Fox 32, 34.

  • Swíþe feáwa manna ongit,

      19; Fox 70, 12.

  • Swíþe lytle fiorme,

      Past. pref.; Swt. 5, 11.
of quality
Show examples

  • Hé biþ ðæra suíðe gemyndig,

      Past. 4; Swt. 37, 20.

  • Ða swíðe swígean

    nimis taciti,

      23; Swt. 174, 24.

  • Swíþe heá dúne,

      Blickl. Homl. 27, 16.

  • Ús is swíþe uncúþ,

      51, 35.

  • Hé wæs swíðe welig

    dives erat valde,

      Lk. Skt. 18, 23.
with adverbs or adverbial phrases
Show examples

  • Suíðe oft,

      Past. 3; Swt. 35, 9.

  • Ðæt his láreów hine suíðe lythwón gemyndgige,

      31; Swt. 207, 4.
  • Ðá wundrade ic swíðe swíðe, pref.; Swt. 5, 19.

  • Swíðe ðearle

    vehementer nimis,

      Gen. 17, 2.

  • Drinc swýþe þearle,

      Lchdm. i. 78, 10.

  • Swíþe eáþe . . . swíþe raþe,

      Blickl. Homl. 21, 17, 21.

  • Swíþe lytelíce, Bt. 7, 1; Fox 16, 11. II a. in the superlative,

    chiefly, especially, mostly :-- Seó bóc (St. John's gospel )

    hrepaþ swýðost ymbe Cristes godcundnysse,
      Homl. Th. i. 70, 1.

  • Hwiþer wilt ðú mé swíþost lǽdan

    whither especially wilt thou lead me?

      Bt. 22, 2; Fox 78, 5.

  • Þurh ofermétto ealra swíðost

    most of all through pride,

      Cd. Th. 22, 8; Gen. 337.

  • Swíþost hé fór ðider for ðæm horschwælum

    it was chiefly on account of the walruses that he went thither,

      Ors. 1, 1; Swt. 17, 35.

  • Swíðost hys spéda hý forspendaþ mid ðam langan legere,

      21, 8.

  • Ðæs hé wæs ealles swíþost to hergenne, ðæt . . .

    he was to be praised most of all for this, that. . . ,

      Blickl. Homl. 223, 27.

  • Smire hine mid hrýþeres oþþe swíðost mid oxan geallan,

      Lchdm. ii. 44, 11.
with verbs, intensifying their force
Show examples

  • Ne ðæt swíþe tó wundrianne is

    it is not much to be wondered at,

      Bd. 3, 9; S. 533, 24.

  • Ðá arn dæt wíf swíðe

    then the woman ran fast,

      Homl. Skt. i. 3, 650.

  • Ælmyssan sylle héswýðe

    eleemosynas reddat largiter,

      L. Ecg. C. 3; Th. ii. 136, 34.

  • Þicge hit swýðe,

      Lchdm. i. 80, 19.

  • Seóð swýþe and ete swýþe

    cook thoroughly and eat largely,

      82, 1.

  • Ðæt Drihten swóre áð swíðe

    solemnly swore an oath,

      Wulfst. 209, 27.

  • Ðæt wé his tó suíðe ne gítseden,

      Past. 3; Swt. 33, 18.

  • Drihten is þearle swíþe tó herienne,

      Lchdm. iii. 436, 18.

  • Hé þearle swíþe wearþ gegladod,

      438, 27.

  • Swá swýþe swá hé ðam cyninge wæs líciende, swá swýþe hé him sylfum mislícade,

      Bd. 5, 13; S. 632, 8.

  • Mé swá swýþe ne lyst, swá . . . ,

      Bt. 5, 1; Fox 10, 18.

  • Hí swíþor clypodon

    illi magis clamabant,

      Mt. Kmbl. 27, 23.

  • Nis ðé náuht swíþor

    nothing affects you more,

      Bt. 7, 1; Fox 16, 8: 7, tit.; Fox x, 13.

  • Wé nellaþ be ðám ná swíðor áwrítan

    we will not write further about them,

      Homl. Th. ii. 466, 20.

  • Wé willaþ furðor ymbe ðás emnihte swíðor sprecan . . . Embe ðis wé sprecaþ eft swídor

    we will say more about it later on,

      Lchdm. iii. 240, 1, 7.

  • Ða bróþra óþra weorca swýðor gýmdon

    paid more attention to other works,

      Bd. 3, 8; ii. 532, 30.

  • Swá hé him swíþor bebeád swá hí swíðor bodedon

    quanto eis praecipiebat, tanto magis plus praedicabant,

      Mk. Skt. 7, 36.

  • Wæs hé swá micle swíðor on his móde gedréfed, swá his mód ǽr swíðor tó ðám woruld*-*sǽlþum gewunod wæs,

      Bt. 1; Fox 2, 27.

  • Biþ ðý heardra ðe hit sǽ*-*streámas swíðor beátaþ,

      Cd. Th. 80, 10; Gen. 1326.

  • Ðǽm módum ðe hí willaþ swíþost beswícan

    the minds that they will most completely dtceive,

      Bt. 7, 1; Fox 16, 12.

  • Ðá hé hí swíðost forslagen hæfde

    when he had inflicted a most severe defeat upon them,

      16, 2; Fox 54, 2.

  • Ðá hí swíðost worhton

    when they were working hardest,

      Homl. Th. i. 22, 22.

  • Ðonne heó bléwþ swíðust

    when it is in fullest blossom,

      Lchdm. i. 160, 14.

  • Forlǽtan unnytte ymbhogan swá hé swíþost mihte

    as much as ever he could,

      Bt. 35, tit.; Fox xvi, 27.

  • Hiora scamiaþ swíþust ealles ða tó Sione hete swíðost hæfdon,

      Ps. Th. 128, 3.

  • Swýþust ealra,

      108, 28.

  • Næfde se here Angelcynn ealles for swíðe gebrocod; ac hié wǽron micle swíþor gebrocede mid ceápes cwilde and monna; ealles swíþost mid ðæm ðæt manige ðara sélestena cynges þéna forðférdon,

      Chr. 897; Erl. 94, 29-32.
Etymology
[The word is common in Middle English. O. Sax. swíðo: O. Frs. swíthe.]
Similar entries
v. efen-, for-, ofer-, un-swíðe.
Linked entries
v.  swíðor.
Entry information
Citation

Bosworth, Joseph. “swíðe.” In An Anglo-Saxon Dictionary Online, edited by Thomas Northcote Toller, Christ Sean, and Ondřej Tichy. Prague: Faculty of Arts, Charles University, 2014. https://bosworthtoller.com/29853.

Checked: 0
Full form

Word-wheel

  • swíðe, adv.

Copyright

All the data provided here are free for any purpose. If you use the data for academic purposes, we ask that you kindly cite us as your source. In case you need a large portion of the dictionary data or you need it in a specific format, let us know through the contact form, we are happy to do custom database dumps for researchers.

How to cite

You can cite the entries of the online version of the dictionary, or you can cite the scanned pages of the original paper editions.

  • To cite the online version of the dictionary, click the icon right under the entry.
  • To cite the scanned paper version of the dictionary, click the "show/hide this scanned page" link under the entry, check the scan and use the citation information right above it.