Bosworth Toller's

Anglo-Saxon

Dictionary online

æ
þ

swǽs

  • adjective
Dictionary links
Grammar
swǽs, adj.
Wright's OE grammar
§119;
(one's)
own; proprius. v. swǽslice,
Show examples

  • Ðæt selegescot ðæt ic mé swǽs on ðé gehálgode

    the tabernacle that I hallowed me as my own in thee

    ,
      Exon. Th. 90, 29 ; Cri. 1481. ,
the word, which occurs rarely in prose (see, however, the first passage cited), is used mostly in reference to the connection that belongs to relationship by blood or by marriage, or to dear companionship, and so often has the force of (one's) own dear, (one's)
dear
Show examples

  • Ælþeódige mæn . . . swǽse mæn

    foreigners . . . men of one's own race, natives

    ,
      L. Wih. 4; Th. i. 38, 2.

  • Biþ him self sunu and swǽs fæder and eác yrfeweard

    ipsa sibi proles, suus est pater et suus haeres

    ,
      Exon. Th. 224, 13; Ph. 375.

  • Ic and mín swǽs fæder,

      Elen. Kmbl. 1032; El. 517.

  • Mín ðæt swǽse bearn! (cf. mín ðæt leófe bearn! 166,

      28; Gú. 1049), Exon. Th. 167, 1; Gú. 1053.

  • Swǽs eft ongon (cf. fæder eft ongon etc., 7) his bearn lǽran,

      302, 29; Fä. 43.

  • Cwæð brýd tó beorne : 'Mín swǽs freá,' Cd. Th. 168,

      15; Gen. 2783.

  • Heó Adame hyre swǽsum were scencte,

      Exon. Th. 161, 11; Gú. 975.

  • Wið fæder swǽsne,

      39, 4; Cri. 617.

  • Gif ðú sunu áge, oððe swǽsne mǽg, oððe freónd ǽnigne,

      Cd. Th. 150, 28; Gen. 2498 : 203, 11; Exod. 402.

  • Heora swǽs cynn,

      Ps. Th. 105, 21.

  • Geseh swǽsne geféran

    he saw his own dear comrade

    ,
      Andr. Kmbl. 2018; An. 1011.

  • Æfter swǽsne (

    one's own dear lord

    ),
      Exon. Th. 289, 18; Wand. 50.

  • Swǽse gesíþas

    his own familiar comrades

    ,
      Beo. Th. 57; B. 29.

  • Nǽnig swǽsra gesíða,

      3872; B. 1934.

  • Freónda má swǽsra and gesibbra

    more of friends dear and near

    ,
      Exon. Th. 408, 34; Rä. 27, 22.

  • Freóndum swǽsum and gesibbum,

      Cd. Th. 97, 13; Gen. 1612.

  • Hé hét hine (

    Beowulf

    ) leóde swǽse sécean.
      Beo. Th. 3741; B. 1868.

  • Mǽgburge swǽse and gesibbe

    my kindred, dear and near ones (or dear and near kindred ),

      Exon. Th. 397, 19; Rä. 16, 22.

  • Twá dohtor, swáse gesweostor,

      431, 29; Rä. 47, 3.
with a development of meaning similar to that in kind or gentle; gracious, kind, agreeable, pleasant (used of persons or things). v. swǽs-líc
Show examples

  • Swǽs vel wynsum

    eucharis

    ,
      Wrt. Voc. i. 61, 17.

  • Líþe, swǽs

    blanda

    , ii.
      127, 2.

  • Tunge swǽse tóbrycþ heardnysse

    lingua mollis confringit duritiam

    ,
      Scint. 8, 17.

  • Drihten is niðum swǽs

    suavis est Dominus

    ,
      Ps. Th. 99, 4.

  • Ðú swǽs tó mé ðín eáre onhyld,

      101, 2.

  • Þeáh ðe ic on hyld gegange, ðænne swǽs wese

    when it may be agreeable

    ,
      131, 3.

  • On sóðfæstra swǽsum múðe

    in the gracious mouth of the just

    ,
      117, 15.

  • Weredum beóbreáde vel swǽsum

    dulci favo

    ,
      Wrt. Voc. ii. 142, 9.

  • Fram swésere tungan

    a blanda lingua

    ,
      Kent. Gl. 159.

  • Steorran forléton hyra swǽsne wlite

    the stars resigned their sweet beauty

    ,
      Exon. Th. 71, 1; Cri. 1149.

  • Sete swǽse geheald múðe mínum

    set pleasant guard for my mouth

    ,
      Ps. Th. 140, 4.

  • Beseoh on ðíne scealcas swǽsum eágum (

    with gracious eyes

    ),
      89, 18.

  • Swǽsum wordum dulcibus verbis, Coll. Monast. Th. 32, 31:

    blandimentis

    ,
      Gl. Prud. 43 a. Swáse swegldreámas, Exon. Th. 82, 35; Cri. 1349.
Etymology
[Goth. swés ἴδιος ; swés; subst. property: O. Sax. swás (man) : O. Frs. swés near, related : O. H. Ger. swás familiaris, domesticus : Icel. sváss beloved, dear; pleasant.]
Similar entries
v. ge-, un-swǽs; swǽs-líc.
Linked entries
v.  swáse swés.
Entry information
Citation

Bosworth, Joseph. “swǽs.” 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/29515.

Checked: 0
Full form

Word-wheel

  • swǽs, 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.