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Anglo-Saxon

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hweorfan

  • verb [ strong ]
Dictionary links
Grammar
hweorfan, hworfan, hwurfan
Wright's OE grammar
§500;
To turn, change, go, return, depart, go about, wander, roam, hover about
Show examples

  • Nǽfre ic from hweorfe ac ic mid wunige áwa tó ealdre

    I will never go from you, but I will dwell with you for ever,

    • Exon. 14 b
      • ;
    • Th. 30, 8
      • ;
    • Cri. 476.

  • Ðú hweorfest of hénþum in gehyld godes

    thou shalt pass from humiliations into the favour of God,

    • Andr. Kmbl. 233
      • ;
    • An. 117
      • .

  • Mín folc hider hweorfeþ

    revertetur huc populus meus,

    • Ps. Th. 72, 8
      • :
    • Exon. 76 a
      • ;
    • Th. 284, 27
      • ;
    • Jul. 703
      • .

  • Siððan heó ofer brim hweorfeþ

    after it [the sun] goes beyond the ocean,

    • 93 b
      • ;
    • Th. 351, 17
      • ;
    • Sch. 81
      • :
    • 110 a
      • ;
    • Th. 422, 13
      • ;
    • Rä. 41, 5
      • .

  • Gé tó mé on hyge hweorfaþ

    ye turn to me in thought,

    • 98 a
      • ;
    • Th. 366, 2
      • ;
    • Reb. 6
      • .

  • On hinderling hweorfaþ míne feóndas

    convertentur inimici mei retrorsum,

    • Ps. Th. 55, 8
      • :
    • 69, 3
      • .

  • On heora ágen dust æfter hweorfaþ

    in pulverem suum revertentur,

    • 103, 27.

  • Hí tówrecene wíde hweorfaþ

    ipsi dispergentur,

    • 58, 15.

  • Hweorfaþ æfter heorþe

    they walk along the floor of the furnace,

    • Exon. 55 b
      • ;
    • Th. 196, 18
      • ;
    • Az. 176
      • .

  • Swá hweorfaþ gleómen

    so gleemen roam about,

    • 87 a
      • ;
    • Th. 326, 28
      • ;
    • Víd. 135
      • .

  • Ðá seó scyld ðá tó his heortan hwearf

    ad cor suum rediit,

    • Bd. 4, 25
      • ;
    • S. 599, 35
      • .

  • Ierre hé hwearf ðonan tó his ágnum,

    • Chr. 584
      • ;
    • Erl. 18, 25
      • .

  • Hé ána hwearf mondreámum from

    he went alone from human joys [i.e. died ],

    • Beo. Th. 3433
      • ;
    • B. 1714
      • .

  • Hwearf geond ðæt healreced Hæreðes dóhtor,

    • 3965
      • ;
    • B. 1981
      • .

  • Hé hwearf æfter wegum

    he went along the roads,

    • Blickl. Homl. 199, 13
      • :
    • Beo. Th. 5657
      • ;
    • B. 2832
      • .

  • Hwearf ðǽr Hróðgár sæt,

    • 717
      • ;
    • B. 356
      • .

  • Fæder ellor hwearf,

    • 110
      • ;
    • B. 55
      • :
    • Judth. 10
      • ;
    • Thw. 23, 9
      • ;
    • Jud. 112
      • .

  • Hwærf him dá tó heofenum hálig drihten

    the holy Lord returned to heaven,

    • Cd. 13
      • ;
    • Th. 16, 7
      • ;
    • Gen. 240
      • .

  • Hwearf eft tó his ágnum biscopdóme,

    • Chr. 813
      • ;
    • Erl. 60, 22
      • .

  • Hé hwearf be wealle

    he went along the wall,

    • Beo. Th. 3150
      • ;
    • B. 1573
      • :
    • 2380
      • ;
    • B. 1188
      • .

  • Hengest hwearf him on láste

    Hengest went after them,

    • Fins. Th. 35
      • ;
    • Fin. 17
      • .

  • Gástas hwurfon sóhton engla éþel

    spirits went and sought the angels' country,

    • Andr. Kmbl. 1280
      • ;
    • An. 640
      • .

  • Hyssas hále hwurfon in ðam hátan ofne

    the men walked unharmed in that hot furnace,

    • Cd. 188
      • ;
    • Th. 233, 5
      • ;
    • Dan. 271
      • .

  • Bláce hworfon sceaþan hwearfdon,

    • 214
      • ;
    • Th. 269, 11
      • ;
    • Sat. 71
      • .

  • Ǽr hí on tú hweorfon

    before they separated,

    • Andr. Kmbl. 2102
      • ;
    • An. 1052
      • .

  • Hweorfon ða hǽðenan hæftas fram ðám hálgan cnihton

    the heathen slaves went from the holy youths,

    • Cd. 187
      • ;
    • Th. 232, 28
      • ;
    • Dan. 267
      • .

  • Hweorfaþ eft tó mé

    return to me,

    • Blickl. Homl. 235, 16
      • .

  • Him his gebed hweorfe tó fyrenun

    oratio ejus fiat in peccatum,

    • Ps. 108, 6
      • .

  • Ðý læs hé for wlence of gemete hweorfe and forhycge heánspédigran

    lest from pride he depart from moderation and despise the more scantily endowed,

    • Exon. 78 b
      • ;
    • Th. 294, 35
      • ;
    • Crä. 25
      • .

  • Ǽr hé on weg hwurfe gamol of geardum,

    • Beo. Th. 534
      • ;
    • B. 264
      • .

  • Hogedon georne ðæt ǽ godes ealle gelǽste and ne áwácodon wereda drihtne ne ðan má gen [(?) þan mægen, Th: heánmægen, Grem: mægenhwyrfe, Btwk.] hwyrfe in hǽðendóm

    they strove earnestly to perform all God's law, and not to be apostate from the Lord of hosts any more than to turn to heathendom,

    • Cd. 183
      • ;
    • Th. 229, 22
      • ;
    • Dan. 221
      • .

  • Hwonne se dæg cume ðæt hé sceolde ðæs ealles ídel hweorfan

    when the day comes that he must depart having nothing of it at all,

    • Blickl. Homl. 97, 26
      • .

  • Ðæt ic meahte hweorfan ymbe ðinne ðone hálgan alter

    circumdabo altare tuum,

    • Ps. Th. 25, 6
      • :
    • Cd. 32
      • ;
    • Th. 42, 5
      • ;
    • Gen. 669.

  • Ðam þegne ongan his hige hweorfan

    the man's mind began to change,

    • 33
      • ;
    • Th. 44, 8
      • ;
    • Gen. 706
      • .

  • Hweorfan fram helltrafum tó fægeran gefeán,

    • Andr. Kmbl. 3378
      • ;
    • An. 1693
      • .

  • Hé lǽteþ hworfan monnes módgeþonc

    he lets the mind of man roam,

    • Beo. Th. 3461
      • ;
    • B. 1728
      • .

  • Hweorfan,

    • Exon. 77 b
      • ;
    • Th. 290, 29
      • ;
    • Wand. 72
      • .

  • Hámleás hweorfan

    to wander homeless,

    • 110 a
      • ;
    • Th. 420, 25
      • ;
    • Rä. 40, 9
      • .

  • Ic seah searo hweorfan giellende faran,

    • 108 b
      • ;
    • Th. 414, 29
      • ;
    • Rä. 33, 3
      • :
    • Cd. 219
      • ;
    • Th. 281, 11
      • ;
    • Sat. 270
      • :
    • 215
      • ;
    • Th. 272, 16
      • ;
    • Sat. 120
      • .

  • On wræc hweorfan,

    • 43
      • ;
    • Th. 57, 15
      • ;
    • Gen. 928
      • :
    • 48
      • ;
    • Th. 62, 15
      • ;
    • Gen. 1014
      • .

  • Of gesyhþe ðínre hweorfan

    to go from thy presence,

    • 50
      • ;
    • Th. 63, 21
      • ;
    • Gen. 1035
      • .

  • Ðæt hé in ðone grimman gryre gongan sceolde hweorfan gehýned.

    • Exon. 41 a
      • ;
    • Th. 136, 20
      • ;
    • Gú. 544
      • .

  • Com on sefan hwurfan swefnes wóma,

    • Cd. 177
      • ;
    • Th. 222, 25
      • ;
    • Dan. 110
      • .

  • Hie wǽron eft hám hweorfende

    they were returning home,

    • Blickl. Homl. 67, 10
      • .

  • Ðá wæs Maria eft hweorfende tó hire húse,

    • 139, 3
      • .

  • Hie ymb ðæt fuhton on hweorfendum sigum

    Samniticum bellum ancipiti statu gestum,

    • Ors. 3, 5
      • ;
    • Swt. 106, 3
      • .
  • In the following passage the verb is transitive

    Fulwiaþ folc hweorfaþ tó heofonum

    baptize people and turn them to heaven,

    • Exon. 14 b
      • ;
    • Th. 30, 25
      • ;
    • Cri. 485
      • .
Etymology
[
Goth. hwairban to walk
;
O. Sax. hwerƀan to go, wander
:
O. Frs. hwerva
:
Icel. hverfa
:
O. H. Ger. hwerban redire, reverti, remeare, ambulare.
]
Derived forms
á-, æt-, be-, ge-, geond-, on-, tó-, ymbe-hweorfan
Similar entries
v. hwerfan. [Cf. Mod. E. walk, went.]
Linked entries
v.  ge-hweorfan hwerfan hworfan hwurfan.
Entry information
Citation

Bosworth, Joseph. “hweorfan.” 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/20126.

Checked: 1
Full form

Word-wheel

  • hweorfan, v.

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