sweyen

Middle English

Etymology 1

Traditionally seen as borrowed from Old Norse sveigja (“to bend”), from Proto-Germanic *swaigijaną;[1][2][3] the Gersum Project instead proposes a derivation from Old English swēgan (“to crash, roar”), from Proto-Germanic *swōgijaną (see Etymology 2).[4]

However, modern Scots and Northern English dialectal forms apparently require a form with Old English /æːj/;[5] therefore, derivation from a Old English *swǣġan (a native cognate to sveigja) is probable.

Alternative forms

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /ˈswæi̯ən/
  • IPA(key): /swɛi̯/, /swɛ̞ː/ (Northern)

Verb

sweyen (third-person singular simple present sweyeth, present participle sweyende, sweyynge, first-/third-person singular past indicative and past participle sweyed)

  1. To rush, charge, or flow; to quickly move forwards.
  2. To fall, sink, or drop; to move down.
  3. (rare) To sway or twist; to move in curves or back and forth.
Conjugation
Conjugation of sweyen (weak in -ed)
infinitive (to) sweyen, sweye
present tense past tense
1st-person singular sweye sweyed
2nd-person singular sweyest sweyedest
3rd-person singular sweyeth sweyed
subjunctive singular sweye
imperative singular —
plural1 sweyen, sweye sweyeden, sweyede
imperative plural sweyeth, sweye —
participles sweyynge, sweyende sweyed

1 Sometimes used as a formal 2nd-person singular.

Descendants
  • English: sway
  • Middle Scots: suey, swey, sweye
  • Yola: zwae
References
  1. ^ “sweien, v.2”, in MED Online, Ann Arbor, Mich.: University of Michigan, 2007.
  2. ^ Barnhart, Robert and Steinmetz, Sol, editors (1988), “sway”, in The Barnhart Dictionary of Etymology‎[1], Bronxville, N.Y.: The H. W. Wilson Co., →ISBN, →OCLC, page 1100, column 2.
  3. ^ Onions, C[harles] T., Friedrichsen, G. W. S., and Burchfield, R[obert] W., editors (1966), “sway”, in The Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology‎[2], Oxford: Clarendon Press, →ISBN, →OCLC, page 892, column 2; reprinted 1994.
  4. ^ Dance, Richard; Pons-Sanz, Sara; Schorn, Brittany (2019), “sweʒe adj., v. (wk.)”, in The Gersum Project ⁠‎[3], University of Cambridge, University of Cardiff, and the University of Sheffield.
  5. ^ Johnston, Paul (1997), “3: Older Scots Phonology and its Regional Variation”, in Jones, Charles, editor, The Edinburgh History of the Scots Language, Part 1: The Beginnings to 1700, Edinburgh: Edinburgh University Press, →ISBN, →OCLC, § 3.2.2, page 57.

Etymology 2

Inherited from Old English swēgan (“to crash, roar”), from Proto-West Germanic *swōgijan, from Proto-Germanic *swōgijaną.

Alternative forms

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /ˈswei̯ən/, /ˈswiːən/
  • IPA(key): (earlier) /swei̯/, (later) /sweː/ (Northern)

Verb

sweyen (third-person singular simple present sweyeth, present participle sweyende, sweyynge, first-/third-person singular past indicative and past participle sweyed)

  1. To sound; to make a loud sound.
Conjugation
Conjugation of sweyen (weak in -ed)
infinitive (to) sweyen, sweye
present tense past tense
1st-person singular sweye sweyed
2nd-person singular sweyest sweyedest
3rd-person singular sweyeth sweyed
subjunctive singular sweye
imperative singular —
plural1 sweyen, sweye sweyeden, sweyede
imperative plural sweyeth, sweye —
participles sweyynge, sweyende sweyed

1 Sometimes used as a formal 2nd-person singular.

References
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