Dictionary
Words, grammatical forms and meanings linked to the ontology.
swither en · NOUN · etymology 1
Pronunciation
Etymology
From Middle English *swithren, from Old Norse sviðra (“to burn, singe”). Related to Middle English swithen (“to burn, scorch, singe”), from Old Norse svíða (“to burn”).
Meanings
-
(countable, dialectal, uncountable) A great heat; a scorching, singeing
-
(countable, dialectal, uncountable) Sweating.
Forms
swither en · VERB · etymology 1
Pronunciation
Etymology
From Middle English *swithren, from Old Norse sviðra (“to burn, singe”). Related to Middle English swithen (“to burn, scorch, singe”), from Old Norse svíða (“to burn”).
Meanings
-
(dialectal) To burn, scorch, singe.
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(dialectal) To burn slowly, melt (as a candle), sweal
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(dialectal, figuratively) To smart, ache; tingle
Forms
swither en · NOUN · etymology 2
Pronunciation
Etymology
First attested in 1501; of unknown origin.
Meanings
-
(Northern-England, Scotland) A state of indecision or confusion; a panicked state; a flap, fluster, or dither.
Bradly came bristling to the lagoon the following afternoon, in a swither of alarm and expectation.
1938, Norman Lindsay, Age of Consent, 1st Australian edition, Sydney, N.S.W.: Ure Smith, published 1962, →OCLC, page 49:
Forms
swither en · VERB · etymology 2
Pronunciation
Etymology
First attested in 1501; of unknown origin.
Meanings
-
(Northern-England, Scotland) To be indecisive or in a state of confusion; to dither.
-
To move or swing about.
He was filling his pipe, staring at his picture, not her, and this tacit dismissal allowed her to sidle over to the bank higher up, and there swither her legs about in the water before coming out of it.
1938, Norman Lindsay, Age of Consent, 1st Australian edition, Sydney, N.S.W.: Ure Smith, published 1962, →OCLC, page 51:
Forms