sweora

Old English

Alternative forms

• swīera, swīra, swūra, swȳra

Etymology

From Proto-Germanic *swerhô. Cognate with Old Norse svíra.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈswe͜oː.rɑ/

Noun

swēora m

1. neck
   • late 9th century, translation of Orosius' History Against the Pagans

     Hē oft wȳsċte þæt ealle Rōmāne hæfden ānne swēoran, þæt hē hraðost forċeorfan meahte.

     He often wished that all of Rome had one neck, so he could cut off all their heads with one blow.

   • 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.

2. (of water) the part where the distance between two shores is the least

Declension

Weak:

	singular	plural
nominative	swēora	swēoran
accusative	swēoran	swēoran
genitive	swēoran	swēorena
dative	swēoran	swēorum

Synonyms

• heals

Derived terms

• langswēored
• swēorbēag

Descendants

• English: swire
• Scots: swire