Bosworth Toller's

Anglo-Saxon

Dictionary online

æ
þ

swerian

  • verb [ weakstrong ]
Dictionary links
Grammar
swerian, p. swór (but a weak swerede occurs; cf.
Icel. svarði as well as sór
), pl. swóron; pp. sworen
Wright's OE grammar
§55; §128; §510;
To swear, make oath.
absolute
Show examples

  • Se ðe sweraþ (swereþ,

    • Ps. Th. Surt.
    ) néhstan his

    qui jurat proximo suo,

    • Ps. Spl. 14, 6.

  • Ðæt land ðe ic fore swór heora fæderum

    terram pro qua juravi patribus eorum,

    • Num. 14, 23.

  • Ðæt land ðe ðú hira fæderum fore swóre,

    • 11, 12.

  • Hí wið mé sweórun

    adversum me jurabant,

    • Ps. Surt. 101, 9.

  • Ic secge eów, ðæt gé eallunga ne swerion,

    • Mt. Kmbl. 5, 34.

  • Hí mé hraþe æfter swerigean ongunnon,

    • Ps. Th. 101, 6.

  • Hé mót swerian for syxtig hída,

    • L. In. 19
      • ;
    • Th. i. 114, 11.
to swear by or on
Show examples

  • :-- Swá hwylc swá swereþ on temple . . . swá hwá swá swereþ on ðæs temples golde,

    • Mt. Kmbl. 23, 16, 18, 20, 21.

  • Swá swá ðú swóre on sóðfæstnysse ðíne,

    • Ps. Spl. 88, 48.

  • Ic swerige ðurh God

    juro per Deum,

    • Ælfc. Gr. 38
      • ;
    • Zup. 227, 4.

  • Ne swerie gé þurh útencymena goda naman,

    • Ex. 23, 13: Mt. Kmbl. 5, 34, 35.

  • Ne swerigen gé nǽfre under hǽðene godas,

    • L. Alf. 48
      • ;
    • Th. i. 54, 23.
to swear to anything
Show examples
  • :--

    Ðæt hí hit gegaderian and eft ágifan swá hí durran tó swerian,

    • L. N. P. L. 57
      • ;
    • Th. ii. 300, 2
      • .
with an object,
a noun (pronoun)
Show examples

  • Ðá swóron hí swíðe, ðæt hit swá wǽre. Ðá cwæð hé tó him: ;Ac tó hwon sweriaþ git mán?;

    • Guthl. 14
      • ;
    • Gdwin. 64, 6.

  • Ic ne swór fela áþa on unriht,

    • Beo. Th. 5470
      • ;
    • B. 2738.

  • Hé mé áðas swór,

    • 949
      • ;
    • B. 472.

  • Hé him ðone áð swór,

    • Gen. 24, 9.

  • Ðone swergendan áð ðone hé swór

    jusjurandum quod juravit,

    • Ps. Surt. ii. p. 199, 20.

  • Wyrgdan, áð sweredan (áðsweredan?)

    devotabant,

    • Wrt. Voc. ii. 26, 48.

  • Se ðe mánáð swerige,

    • L. Ath. i. 25
      • ;
    • Th. i. 212, 18.

  • Ðæs deádan mǽgas swerian unceáses áð,

    • L. In. 35
      • ;
    • Th. i. 124, 7.
to swear an oath by something
Show examples
  • :--

    Ða ðe áðas sweriaþ on hine,

    • Ps. Th. 62, 9.

  • Ic ǽne swór áð on hálgum,

    • 88, 31.

  • Gange ǽlc man ðæs tó gewitnesse ðe hé durre on ðam háligdóme swerian,

    • L. Eth. iii. 2
      • ;
    • Th. i. 292, 14.

  • Ic swór mǽne áðas mínra hláforda lífe,

    • L. de Cf. 9
      • ;
    • Th. ii. 264, 11.
where the object is a clause that contains a statement of that which is confirmed by oath
Show examples

  • Ðá ætsóc hé and swerede ðæt hé nǽfre ðone man ne cúðe

    tunc coepit detestari et jurare quia non novisset hominem,

    • Mt. Kmbl. 26, 74.

  • Hig swóron him betweónan, ðæt hig sibbe heóldon,

    • Gen. 21, 31.

  • Ðá swóran hié swíðe, ðæt hié sóð sægdon,

    • Nar. 25, 27.

  • Swerige hé, ðæt hé him nán fácn on wiste,

    • L. In. 56
      • ;
    • Th. i. 138, 12: L. Ath. v. 12, 2
      • ;
    • Th. i. 242, 4.

  • Begite hé ðara .v. .i. ðæt him mid swerige, ðæt . . .,

    • i. 9
      • ;
    • Th. i. 204, 11.

  • Swerian (cf. gif hí ðone áð syllan ne durren, 394. 3) hí, ðæt him nǽfre áð ne burste,

    • L. C. S. 30
      • ;
    • Th. i. 392, 27.
to swear by, on . . . that . . .
Show examples
  • :--

    Swerian hí on ðam háligdóme, ðæt hig nellan nǽnne sacleásan man forsecgean,

    • L. Eth. iii. 3
      • ;
    • Th. i. 294, 4.

  • Ic swerige þurh mé sylfne . . . ic ðé bletsige,

    • Gen. 22, 16.

  • Sweriaþ þurh Drihten, ðæt gé dón wið mé mildheortnisse,

    • Jos. 2, 12.

  • Ðá ásweartode eall se king and swór under God ælmihtine and under ealle hálgan ðártó, ðæt hit næs ná his rǽd,

    • Chart. Th. 340, 1.
where noun and clause both occur
Show examples

  • Swerige hé ðone áð, ðæt hé sý unscyldig,

    • L. Ath. i. 73
      • ;
    • Th. i. 210, 31.

  • Ðæt Drihten swóre áð swíðe, ðæt God wolde sendan hungor,

    • Wulfst. 209, 26.
with adjuration
Show examples

  • :-- Áð swereþ engla þeóden þurh his sylfes líf, ðæt ðínes cynnes rím ne cunnon yldo,

    • Cd. Th. 205, 5
      • ;
    • Exod. 431.
Etymology
[
Goth. swaran
:
O. Sax. swerian
:
O. Frs. sweria, swera, swara
:
O. H. Ger. swerien, sweren
:
Icel. sverja.
]
Similar entries
v. á-, æt-, for-, ge-, óþ-swerian; swerigend-líc.
Linked entries
v.  fore-swerian.
Entry information
Citation

Bosworth, Joseph. “swerian.” 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/29736.

Checked: 2
Full form

Word-wheel

  • swerian, v.

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.