Skip to content
ontologydriven
Sign out

Dictionary

Words, grammatical forms and meanings linked to the ontology.

swith en · ADJ · etymology 1

Pronunciation

  • /ˈswɪθ/

Etymology

From Middle English swith, from Old English swīþ (“strong, mighty, powerful, active, severe, violent”), from Proto-West Germanic *swinþ, from Proto-Germanic *swinþaz (“strong”). Cognate with Old Saxon swīth, Middle High German swind (Modern German geschwind (“fast, quick, swift”)), Middle Low German swîde (Modern Low German swied (“very, quite”)), Dutch gezwind (“fast, quick, swift”), West Frisian swiid (“impressive, special”), Old Norse svinnr, sviðr (“quick, clever, understanding, wise”), Gothic 𐍃𐍅𐌹𐌽𐌸𐍃 (swinþs, “strong”). Possibly related to sound.

Meanings

  1. (dialectal, obsolete) Strong; vehement.

Forms

SpellingFeaturesLabelsSource
swither Degree=Cmp lexicographic
swithest Degree=Sup lexicographic

Deriveds

swithly

swith en · ADV · etymology 2

Pronunciation

  • /ˈswɪθ/

Etymology

From Middle English swith, swithe, from Old English swīþe (“very much, exceedingly, severely, violently, fiercely”), from Proto-West Germanic *swinþā, from Proto-Germanic *swinþê (“strongly”), from Proto-Indo-European *swento- (“active, healthy”). Cognate with Saterland Frisian swied (“very”), West Frisian swiid (“very”), Dutch zwijd (“very, extremely”), Low German swied (“quite, very”), Dutch gezwind (“quick, swift”). Not related to superficially similar English swift.

Meanings

  1. (dialectal, obsolete) Quickly, speedily, promptly.
    • As ye disown yon paughty dog, / That bears the keys of Peter, / Then swith! an' get a wife to hug, 1786, Robert Burns, A Dream:
    • “Body of us, man!” said the king, “it is the speech of a true man and a loving subject, and we will grace him accordingly—what though he be but a carle—a twopenny cat may look at a king. Swith, man! have him—pundite fores. 1822 May 29, [Walter Scott], chapter XXXVII, in The Fortunes of Nigel. […], volume (please specify |volume=I to III) (in English), Edinburgh: […] [James Ballantyne and Co.] for Archibald Constable and Co.; London: Hurst, Robinson, and Co., →OCLC:
  2. (dialectal, obsolete) Strongly; vehemently; very.

Forms

SpellingFeaturesLabelsSource
swithe alternative lexicographic
swither Degree=Cmp lexicographic
swithest Degree=Sup lexicographic