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Swear

//swɛə(ɹ)// adj, noun, verb

Definitions

Adjective
  1. 1
    Heavy. Northern-England, Scotland
  2. 2
    Top-heavy; too high. Northern-England, Scotland
  3. 3
    Dull; lazy; slow. Northern-England, Scotland

    "Rise up gueedewife, an dinna be sweer, / B'soothan, b'soothan, / An deal yir chirity t' the peer, / An awa b'mony a toon."

  4. 4
    Reluctant; unwilling. Northern-England, Scotland

    "But faith, to glump ye I'd be sweer / I wish ye luck o' this new year"

  5. 5
    Niggardly. Northern-England, Scotland

    "For if my Pen shall turn as Sweir's their Purse / I fear this is the last I'll write in Verse"

Noun
  1. 1
    A swear word.

    "You might think it funny to hear this Kanaka girl come out with a big swear. No such thing. There was no swearing in her — no, nor anger; she was beyond anger, and meant the word simple and serious."

  2. 2
    A lazy time; a short rest during working hours (especially field labour); a siesta. Northern-England, Scotland
Verb
  1. 1
    To take an oath, to promise intensely, solemnly, and/or with legally binding effect. ambitransitive

    "The knight swore not to return to the palace until he had found the treasure."

  2. 2
    To be lazy; rest for a short while during working hours. Northern-England, Scotland
  3. 3
    have faith or confidence in wordnet
  4. 4
    To take an oath that an assertion is true. transitive

    "The witness swore that the person she had seen running out of the bank was a foot shorter than the accused."

  5. 5
    utter obscenities or profanities wordnet
Show 6 more definitions
  1. 6
    To promise intensely that something is true; to strongly assert. transitive

    "I swear I don't know what you're talking about."

  2. 7
    promise solemnly; take an oath wordnet
  3. 8
    To administer an oath to (a person). transitive

    "Let the witness be sworn."

  4. 9
    to declare or affirm solemnly and formally as true wordnet
  5. 10
    To use offensive, profane, or obscene language. ambitransitive

    "An Australian was once appointed on contract, but he swore too much."

  6. 11
    make a deposition; declare under oath wordnet

Etymology

Etymology 1

From Middle English sweren, swerien, from Old English swerian (“to swear, take an oath of office”), from Proto-West Germanic *swarjan, from Proto-Germanic *swarjaną (“to speak, swear”), from Proto-Indo-European *swer- (“to swear”). Cognate with West Frisian swarre (“to swear”), Saterland Frisian swera (“to swear”), Dutch zweren (“to swear, vow”), Low German swören (“to swear”), sweren, German schwören (“to swear”), Danish sværge, Swedish svära (“to swear”), Icelandic sverja (“to swear”), Russian свара (svara, “quarrel”). Also cognate to Albanian var (“to hang, consider, to depend from”) through Proto-Indo-European. The original sense in all Germanic languages is “to take an oath”. The sense “to use bad language” developed in Middle English and is based on the Christian prohibition against swearing in general (cf. Matthew 5:33-37) and invoking God’s name in particular (i.e. frequent swearing was considered similar to the use of obscene words).

Etymology 2

From the above verb, or from Middle English sware, from Old English swaru, from Proto-Germanic *swarō.

Etymology 3

From Middle English swere, swer, swar, from Old English swǣr, swār (“heavy, heavy as a burden, of great weight, oppressive, grievous, painful, unpleasant, sad, feeling or expressing grief, grave, slow, dull, sluggish, slothful, indolent, inactive from weakness, enfeebled, weak”), from Proto-West Germanic *swār, from Proto-Germanic *swēraz (“heavy”), from Proto-Indo-European *swer- (“heavy”). Cognate with West Frisian swier (“heavy”), Dutch zwaar (“heavy, hard, difficult”), German schwer (“heavy, hard, difficult”), Danish svær (“heavy, hard, severe”), Swedish svår (“heavy, hard, severe”), Latin sērius (“earnest, grave, solemn, serious”) and Albanian varrë (“wound, plague”).

Etymology 4

From Middle English swere, swer, swar, from Old English swǣr, swār (“heavy, heavy as a burden, of great weight, oppressive, grievous, painful, unpleasant, sad, feeling or expressing grief, grave, slow, dull, sluggish, slothful, indolent, inactive from weakness, enfeebled, weak”), from Proto-West Germanic *swār, from Proto-Germanic *swēraz (“heavy”), from Proto-Indo-European *swer- (“heavy”). Cognate with West Frisian swier (“heavy”), Dutch zwaar (“heavy, hard, difficult”), German schwer (“heavy, hard, difficult”), Danish svær (“heavy, hard, severe”), Swedish svår (“heavy, hard, severe”), Latin sērius (“earnest, grave, solemn, serious”) and Albanian varrë (“wound, plague”).

Etymology 5

From Middle English swere, swer, swar, from Old English swǣr, swār (“heavy, heavy as a burden, of great weight, oppressive, grievous, painful, unpleasant, sad, feeling or expressing grief, grave, slow, dull, sluggish, slothful, indolent, inactive from weakness, enfeebled, weak”), from Proto-West Germanic *swār, from Proto-Germanic *swēraz (“heavy”), from Proto-Indo-European *swer- (“heavy”). Cognate with West Frisian swier (“heavy”), Dutch zwaar (“heavy, hard, difficult”), German schwer (“heavy, hard, difficult”), Danish svær (“heavy, hard, severe”), Swedish svår (“heavy, hard, severe”), Latin sērius (“earnest, grave, solemn, serious”) and Albanian varrë (“wound, plague”).

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