Bosworth Toller's

Anglo-Saxon

Dictionary online

æ
þ

swǽr

  • adjective
Dictionary links
Grammar
swǽr, swǽre, and swár; adj. [Halliwell gives sweer unwilling as a Northumbrian word, and swere dull, heavy, as a Durham one. In Jamieson's Dictionary the forms sweir, swere, sweer, swear are given with meanings lazy, indolent; unwilling; unwilling to give.]
Wright's OE grammar
§119;
heavy as a burden, of great weight (lit. or fig.),
oppressive
Show examples

  • Swǽr is seó byrðen ðe Godes bydel beran sceall, gif hé nele georne unriht forbeódan,

      L. I. P. 5; Th. ii. 308, 35: Wulfst. 178, 8.

  • Hé bið deófles tempel, and byrð swíðe swǽre byrðene on his bæce,

      Homl. Th. i. 212, 4.

  • Ðæt swǽre gioc underlútan,

      Met. 10, 20.
  • His wǽpna syndon swǽre tó berenne, ac Cristes geoc is wynsum, Basil admn. 2; Norm. 36, 14.

  • Sorh biþ swǽrost byrðen,

      Salm. Kmbl. 623; Sal. 311.

  • Gif míne synna wǽron áwegene on ánre wǽgan, ðonne wǽron hí swǽrran gesewene ðonne sandcorn on sǽ,

      Homl. Th. ii. 454, 24.
heavy, grievous, painful, unpleasant
Show examples

  • Him yldo ne derede, ne suht swáre,

      Cd. Th. 30, 24; Gen. 472.

  • Swár leger,

      Exon. Th. 101, 21; Cri. 1662 : 201, 15; Ph. 56.

  • Gebrec swár and swíðlíc

    a crash grievous and great

    ,
      59, 19; Cri. 955.

  • Ðæt hé swǽre áhweorfe hæftnéd hefige,

      Ps. Th. 125, 1.

  • Ðú þolades swár gewin,

      Exon. Th. 86, 22 ; Cri. 1412.

  • Geswencean mid swárum wítum,

      Homl. Skt. i. 4, 181.

  • Ða swáran (swǽran,

    other MSS

    .) wíta onfón,
      19, 46.

  • Is swǽrra ðínra synna ród, ðonne seó óþer wæs, ðe ic ǽr ástág,

      Exon. Th. 91, 10; Cri. 1490.

  • Nis ðys eall geswinc? and gyt mycele swǽrran ealle ða ungelimp ðe on ðysum lífe becumaþ,

      Hexam. 20; Norm. 28, 26.
heavy, sad, feeling or
expressing grief
Show examples

  • Ðæt swǽre

    triste

    ,
      Wrt. Voc. ii. 88, 49.

  • Mé is swǽre stefn, hefig, gnorniende

    vox gemitus mei

    ,
      Ps. Th. 101, 4.
of sin or evil,
grave, grievous
Show examples

  • Be hefigtýmum gyllum. Se bróðor se ðe mid swǽrra gylta hæfene bið gedered

    de grauioribus culpis. Frater qui grauioris culpe noxa tenetur

    ,
      R. Ben. 49, 13.

  • On scyldum swǽrum

    in delictis

    ,
      Ps. Th. 67, 21.
  • Gebundene swárum (var. swǽrum) gyltum, Anglia xi. 113, 38.

  • Ða swǽran gyltas ðe hí ádrugon,

      Homl. Th. i. 340, 27.

  • Ðú micele swǽrran synna gefremodest,

      54, 33.
of physical or mental inactivity,
heavy, slow, dull, sluggish, slothful, indolent
Show examples

  • Snuér

    desis

    ,
      Wrt. Voc. ii. 105, 79.

  • Swǽr

    deses

    ,
      25, 12.

  • Ðú yfle esne and swǽr (swér, Lind.)

    serve male et piger

    ,
      Mt. Kmbl. Rush. 25, 26.

  • Sum welig man wæs swangor and swǽr, and him wæs láð þearfendum mannum mete tó syllenne,

      Wulfst. 257, 12.

  • Nis hé swár ne swongor

    non est tarda

    ,
      Exon. Th. 220, 4; Ph. 315.

  • On swárran ðisum líchoman in gravi isto corpore, Hymn. Surt. 13, 15. V a. inactive from weakness, enfeebled, weak :-- Mé is mín gást swǽr geworden defecit spiritus meus, Ps. Th. 142, 7. V b. of sleep,

    heavy

    :-- Swá fram slǽpe hwylc swǽrum áríse,
      Ps. Th. 72, 15.
  • Gehefegod mid ðam swǽran slǽpe, Basil admn. 1; Norm. 34, 3.
Etymology
[Forr hefig & forr sware unngriþþ, Orm. 16280. Goth. swérs grave, honoured: O. Sax. swári grievous (sin, sickness) : O. Frs. swére : O. H. Ger. swár, swári gravis, onerosus: Ger. schwer: Icel. svárr (a poetic word) heavy, grave.]
Similar entries
v. ge-swǽre.
Linked entries
v.  swár.
Entry information
Citation

Bosworth, Joseph. “swǽr.” 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/29506.

Checked: 0
Full form

Word-wheel

  • swǽr, adj.

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.