Bosworth Toller's

Anglo-Saxon

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sciftan

  • verb [ weak ]
Dictionary links
Grammar
sciftan, p. te.
to divide, separate into shares:
— Fón ða yrfenuman tó lande and tó ǽhtan, and scyftan hit swíðe rihte the heirs shall succeed to the land and property, and shall divide it with perfect justice,
    L. C. S. 79; Th. i. 420, 17.
[Shift to divide, Sussex. A division of land among co-heirs is called a shifting, Halliwell Dict. Cf. Icel. skipta arfi, landi.]
to appoint, ordain, arrange. Cf. shift used of a set of men which succeeds another in work that is carried on continuously, e. g. in a mine
Show examples

  • Ðá scyfte man Beorn (Harold,

      MS. , but cf. 1. 21: Ðá
  • læg Godwine eorl and Beorn eorl on Pefensǽ) up ðæs cynges scipe ðe Harold eorl ǽr steórde, Chr. 1046; Erl. 174, 4.
  • Moyses be Godes ágenum dihte rihte lage scyfte. Wulfst. 176, 8.

  • Scifte man of ðam gemóte ða ðe him tó rídan

    those who may go to him shall be appointed from the meeting

    ,
      L. Edg. ii. 7; Th. i. , 268, 15.
Etymology
[Schyftyñ or part a-sundyr sepero, disgrego; Schyftyñ or partyñ or delyñ divido, partior, Prompt. Parv. 446, col. 1. Eter gate me his scyft, and þer me hi togesceodeð, O. E. Homl. i. 237, 30. Prestess and dæcness shifftedenn (arranged) hemm betwenenn whillc here shollde serrfenn first, Orm. 470.]
Similar entries
v. ge-, tó-sciftan (-scyftan).
Linked entries
v.  scyftan.
Entry information
Citation

Bosworth, Joseph. “sciftan.” 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/26768.

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  • sciftan, v.

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