sweord

Middle English

Noun

sweord

1. (Early Middle English or West Midland) alternative form of sword

Old English

Alternative forms

• suord — Northumbrian
• swurd, swyrd — West Saxon
• sword
• *swerd

Etymology

From Proto-Germanic *swerdą. Cognate with Old Frisian swerd, Old Saxon swerd, Old Dutch swert, Old High German swert, Old Norse sverð.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /swe͜ord/, [swe͜orˠd]

Noun

sweord n

1. sword

   Synonyms: see Thesaurus:sweord

   • 9th century, Vespasian Psalter

     Sehðē, hīe spreocað in mūðe [heara], ⁊ sweord is in weolerum heara.

     Behold, they speak in [their] mouth, and a sword is in their lips.

   • Homilies of the Anglo-Saxon Church

     Sum hǣðen man wolde hine ācwellan mid ātogenum swurde, and sē hālga ālēat, and āstrehte his swūran under ðām scīnendan brande.

     A certain heathen man wanted to kill him with a drawn sword, and the holy man bent down and stretched out his neck under the shining brand.

Declension

Strong a-stem:

	singular	plural
nominative	sweord	sweord
accusative	sweord	sweord
genitive	sweordes	sweorda
dative	sweorde	sweordum

Derived terms

• stæfsweord

Descendants

• Middle English: sword, swerd
  • English: sword