svimma

Old Norse

Alternative forms

• symja (Old Norwegian)
• svima

Etymology

From Proto-Germanic *swimmaną.

Verb

svimma (singular past indicative svamm, plural past indicative summu, past participle summinn)

1. (intransitive) to swim

Conjugation

Conjugation of svimma — active (strong class 3)

infinitive	svimma
present participle	svimmandi
past participle	summinn
indicative	present	past
1st-person singular	svimm	svamm
2nd-person singular	svimmr	svammt
3rd-person singular	svimmr	svamm
1st-person plural	svimmum	summum
2nd-person plural	svimmið	summuð
3rd-person plural	svimma	summu
subjunctive	present	past
1st-person singular	svimma	symma
2nd-person singular	svimmir	symmir
3rd-person singular	svimmi	symmi
1st-person plural	svimmim	symmim
2nd-person plural	svimmið	symmið
3rd-person plural	svimmi	symmi
imperative	present
2nd-person singular	svimm
1st-person plural	svimmum
2nd-person plural	svimmið

Conjugation of svimma — mediopassive (strong class 3)

infinitive	svimmask
present participle	svimmandisk
past participle	summizk
indicative	present	past
1st-person singular	svimmumk	summumk
2nd-person singular	svimmsk	svammzk
3rd-person singular	svimmsk	svammsk
1st-person plural	svimmumsk	summumsk
2nd-person plural	svimmizk	summuzk
3rd-person plural	svimmask	summusk
subjunctive	present	past
1st-person singular	svimmumk	symmumk
2nd-person singular	svimmisk	symmisk
3rd-person singular	svimmisk	symmisk
1st-person plural	svimmimsk	symmimsk
2nd-person plural	svimmizk	symmizk
3rd-person plural	svimmisk	symmisk
imperative	present
2nd-person singular	svimmsk
1st-person plural	svimmumsk
2nd-person plural	svimmizk

Descendants

• Faroese: svimja
• Icelandic: svimma, svima, symja
• Norn: suma
• Norwegian Nynorsk: symja, svemja
• Jamtish: symi
• Elfdalian: simma
• Old Swedish: symma
  • Swedish: simma
• Scanian: sømma
• Old Danish: swimmæ
  • Danish: svømme, svemme
    • Norwegian Bokmål: svømme
      • → Norwegian Nynorsk: svømma
• Gutnish: sime

References

• “svimma”, in Geir T. Zoëga (1910) A Concise Dictionary of Old Icelandic, Oxford: Clarendon Press

Swedish

en kvinna som svimmar [a woman fainting]

Etymology

From Middle Low German swimen, from Proto-Germanic *swīmaną (“to sway, to swoon”). Cf. Danish besvime, Norwegian Bokmål besvime, Norwegian Nynorsk svime, English sweem, Dutch zwijm. Likely related to English swoon.

Verb

svimma (present svimmar, preterite svimmade, supine svimmat, imperative svimma)

1. (sometimes with av (“off”)) to faint, to pass out

   Synonym: tuppa av

   Jag svimmade av skräck när jag såg vampyren

   I fainted with fear when I saw the vampire

   att svimma (av)

   to pass out

Usage notes

• Avsvimmad is used for the past participle.
• "Svimma" is a bit closer to "faint," while "tuppa av" is closer to "pass out," though "svimma" does not sound literary.

Conjugation

Conjugation of svimma (weak)

	Active		Passive
Infinitive	svimma		—
Supine	svimmat		—
Imperative	svimma		—
Imper. plural1	svimmen		—
	Present	Past	Present	Past
Indicative	svimmar	svimmade	—	—
Ind. plural1	svimma	svimmade	—	—
Subjunctive2	svimme	svimmade	—	—
	Participles
Present participle	svimmande
Past participle	avsvimmad
1 Archaic. 2 Dated. See the appendix on Swedish verbs.

Related terms

• avsvimma
• svimning

References

• svimma in Svensk ordbok (SO)
• svimma in Svenska Akademiens ordlista (SAOL)
• svimma in Svenska Akademiens ordbok (SAOB)