Bosworth Toller's

Anglo-Saxon

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swífan

  • verb [ strong ]
Dictionary links
Grammar
swífan, p. swáf, pl. swifon; pp. swifen.
Wright's OE grammar
§490;
to move in a course, wend, sweep
Show examples

  • Hond hwyrfeþ geneahhe swíféþ mé geond sweartne

    the hand passes over me

    (a skin),
    • Exon. Th. 394, 4
      • ;
    • Rä. 13, 13.

  • On ðære ilcan eaxe hwerfeþ rodor, recene scríþeþ, súðheald swíféþ swift

    (sweeps swift),

      Met. 28, 17.

  • Mqnnum þyncþ ðæt sió sunne on mere gange, under sǽ swífe, ðonne hió on setl glídeþ,

    • 39.

  • Sceal on ánum fét searo-ceáp (a ship) swífan, swíþe féran, faran ofer feldas,

    • Exon. Th. 415, 6
      • ;
    • Rä. 33, 7.
[Here are added examples of á-swífan omitted in their place :--
Show examples

  • Asuáb

    exorbitans,

    • Wrt. Voc. ii. 107, 74
      • .

  • Áswífende

    exorbitans, exorbitantes,

    • 31, 19, 31: 83, 7: 86, 10:

    exorbitantes, i. circuientes, declinantes,

    • 145, 80.
    ]
of a course of action, to come to take part in a matter
Show examples

  • Ðá swáf Eánulf on wæs geréfa ðá genom eal ðæt yrfe him on ðæt hé áhte tó Tyssebyrig

    then (after the commission of a crime) Eanulf, who was reeve, struck in or intervened, and took all the property from him (the criminal) that he owned at Tisbury,

    • Chart. Th. 172, 31.
Etymology
[
O. Frs. swíva to be uncertain
:
Icel. svífa rove, tarn, sweep
.
Cf. O. H. Ger. sweibón ferri, volvere, incitari
.
Gothic has the verb sweiban; p. swaif (Lk. 7, 45) with the meaning to cease, leave off.
]
Similar entries
v. á-, on-, tó-swífan.
Linked entries
v.  a-swífan swefian.
Entry information
Citation

Bosworth, Joseph. “swífan.” 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/29784.

Checked: 2
Full form

Word-wheel

  • swífan, v.

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