swegan

Old English

Etymology

Inherited from Proto-West Germanic *swōgijan, form Proto-Germanic *swōgijaną; related to swōgan (“to resound, rush, roar”). Compare Gothic 𐍃𐍅𐌴𐌲𐌽𐌾𐌰𐌽 (swēgnjan).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈsweː.jɑn/

Verb

swēġan

1. to make a noise
2. to rush, roar, crash
   • Homilies of the Anglo-Saxon Church

     Eft hē ontende sum hǣðen templ: þā ġewende sē līġ, ðurh þǣs windes blǣd, tō sumes mannes hūse, ðe þǣr ġehende stōd; ac Martinus āstāh on ðām stiċelan hrōfe, and sette hine sylfne onġēan ðām sweġendum līġe, and hē sōna ðrēow ðwyres wið þǣs windes

     Afterwards he set fire to a heathen temple; then through the blowing of the wind, the fire turned to a man's house that stood nearby; but Martinus climbed on the steep roof and set himself against the roaring fire, and he immediately turned it the opposite direction of the wind

3. to produce tones
4. to sing or play music
5. to signify by sound

Conjugation

Conjugation of swēġan (weak, class 1)

infinitive	swēġan	swēġenne
indicative mood	present tense	past tense
first person singular	swēġe	swēġde
second person singular	swēġest, swēġst	swēġdest
third person singular	swēġeþ, swēġþ	swēġde
plural	swēġaþ	swēġdon
subjunctive	present tense	past tense
singular	swēġe	swēġde
plural	swēġen	swēġden
imperative
singular	swēġ
plural	swēġaþ
participle	present	past
	swēġende	(ġe)swēġed

Derived terms

• āswēġan
• onswēġan

Related terms

• swēġ
• swōgan

Descendants

• Middle English: sweyen, sweiȝen, sweye, swie

References

• Joseph Bosworth; T. Northcote Toller (1898), “SWĒĠAN”, in An Anglo-Saxon Dictionary, second edition, Oxford: Oxford University Press.