Bosworth Toller's

Anglo-Saxon

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sweorfan

  • verb [ strong ]
Dictionary links
Grammar
sweorfan, p. swearf, pl. swurfon; pp. sworfen
Wright's OE grammar
§500;
To rub, scour, file
Show examples

  • Swyrfþ limat,

    • Germ. 394, 274.

  • Corfen sworfen

    cut and scoured (of the preparation of a wine-vat),

    • Exon. Th. 410, 24
      • ;
    • Rä. 29, 4.

  • Mín heáfod is homere geþuren sworfen feóle,

    • 497, 18
      • ;
    • Rä. 87, 2.
  • Cpds. with for, omitted in their place, are added here:?-

    Forsweorfeþ

    elimat, i. mundat,

    • Wrt. Voc. ii. 143, 1.

    Biþ forsworfen vel forgniden

    demolitur, exterminatur,

    • 138, 63.
Etymology
[
In later English the verb has the sense of swerve = to turn (aside) Swerve to no side, Gow. 3, 92.
Þe dint swarf, Arth. and Merl. 9369.
Heo swarf to Criste migravit ad Christum, Kath. 2181.
Cf.
Du. zwerven to wander, rove
:
O. Frs. swerva to move, go
.
For the old English verb, cf. Goth. af-swairban to wipe out; delere; bi-swairban to wipe
:
O. Sax. swerƀan to wipe
:
O. H. Ger. swerban tergere, extergere, siccare
:
Icel. sverfa to file.
]
Similar entries
v. á-, ge-sweorfan.
Linked entries
v.  a-sweorfan ge-sweorfan for-sweorfan.
Entry information
Citation

Bosworth, Joseph. “sweorfan.” 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/29713.

Checked: 2
Full form

Word-wheel

  • sweorfan, v.

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