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Sway

//sweɪ// name, noun, verb

Definitions

Proper Noun
  1. 1
    A village and civil parish in New Forest district, Hampshire, England (OS grid ref SZ2798).
Noun
  1. 1
    The act of swaying; a swaying motion; a swing or sweep of a weapon. countable, uncountable
  2. 2
    pitching dangerously to one side wordnet
  3. 3
    A rocking or swinging motion. countable, uncountable

    "The old song caused a little sway in everyone in the room."

  4. 4
    controlling influence wordnet
  5. 5
    Influence, weight, or authority that inclines to one side countable, uncountable

    "I doubt I'll hold much sway with someone so powerful."

Show 5 more definitions
  1. 6
    Preponderance; turn or cast of balance. countable, uncountable
  2. 7
    Rule; dominion; control; power. countable, uncountable

    "Prospero:[…]Confederates / (ſo drie he was for Sway) with King of Naples / To giue him Annuall tribute, doe him homage / Subiect his Coronet, to his Crowne and bend / The Dukedom yet vnbow'd (alas poore Millaine) / To moſt ignoble ſtooping."

  3. 8
    A switch or rod used by thatchers to bind their work. countable, uncountable
  4. 9
    The maximum amplitude of a vehicle's lateral motion. countable, uncountable
  5. 10
    Synonym of sweet flag (“Acorus calamus”) countable, uncountable
Verb
  1. 1
    To move or swing from side to side; or backward and forward; to rock. intransitive

    "sway to the music"

  2. 2
    move back and forth or sideways wordnet
  3. 3
    To move or wield with the hand; to swing; to wield. transitive

    "to sway the sceptre"

  4. 4
    cause to move back and forth wordnet
  5. 5
    To influence or direct by power, authority, persuasion, or by moral force; to rule; to govern; to guide. Compare persuade. transitive

    "Do you think you can sway their decision?"

Show 7 more definitions
  1. 6
    move or walk in a swinging or swaying manner wordnet
  2. 7
    To cause to incline or swing to one side, or backward and forward; to bias; to turn; to bend; to warp. transitive

    "reeds swayed by the wind"

  3. 8
    win approval or support for wordnet
  4. 9
    To hoist (a mast or yard) into position. transitive

    "to sway up the yards"

  5. 10
    To be drawn to one side by weight or influence; to lean; to incline.

    "euen in these Personall Respects, the Ballance swayes on our part: […]"

  6. 11
    To have weight or influence.

    "The example of sundry churches […] doth sway much."

  7. 12
    To bear sway; to rule; to govern.

    "Hadst thou swayed as kings should do."

Etymology

Etymology 1

From earlier swey (“to fall, swoon”), from Middle English sweyen, from Old English *swǣġan (“to bend, bow”), from Proto-West Germanic *swaigijan, from Proto-Germanic *swaigijaną, from Proto-Indo-European *sweh₁- See also Saterland Frisian swooie (“to swing, wave, wobble”); also Lithuanian svai̇̃gti (“to become giddy or dizzy”), the second element of Avestan 𐬞𐬀𐬌𐬭𐬌-𐬱𐬑𐬎𐬀𐬑𐬙𐬀 (paⁱri-šxuaxta, “to surround”), Sanskrit स्वजते (svájate, “he embraces, enfolds”). The noun derived from the verb.

Etymology 2

From earlier swey (“to fall, swoon”), from Middle English sweyen, from Old English *swǣġan (“to bend, bow”), from Proto-West Germanic *swaigijan, from Proto-Germanic *swaigijaną, from Proto-Indo-European *sweh₁- See also Saterland Frisian swooie (“to swing, wave, wobble”); also Lithuanian svai̇̃gti (“to become giddy or dizzy”), the second element of Avestan 𐬞𐬀𐬌𐬭𐬌-𐬱𐬑𐬎𐬀𐬑𐬙𐬀 (paⁱri-šxuaxta, “to surround”), Sanskrit स्वजते (svájate, “he embraces, enfolds”). The noun derived from the verb.

Etymology 3

From Old English svieia (“noisy stream”) (see swegan (“to make a noise”)), probably referring to the river Avon.

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