sweer
English
Etymology
From Middle English swer, sware, from Old English swǣr, swār (“heavy, of great weight, oppressive, grievous, painful, unpleasant, great, sad, feeling or expressing grief, grave, slow, dull, sluggish, slothful, indolent, inactive from weakness, enfeebled, weak”), from Proto-Germanic *swēraz, *swērijaz (“heavy”), from Proto-Indo-European *swēr- (“heavy”). Cognate with West Frisian swier (“heavy, burdensome, onerous, pregnant”), Dutch zwaar (“heavy, hard, difficult”), German schwer (“difficult, hard, heavy”), Swedish svår (“hard, severe, difficult, heavy”), Latin sērius (“earnest, serious”), Lithuanian svarus (“heavy, important”), Albanian var (“to hang, burden, annoy”), Ancient Greek ἕρμα (hérma, “prop, foundation, reef, hill”).
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /swɪə/
Adjective
Afrikaans
Etymology
From Dutch zweren, from Middle Dutch sweren, from Old Dutch *swerien, sweren, from Proto-Germanic *swarjaną, from Proto-Indo-European *swer-.
Middle Dutch
Etymology
From Old Dutch *sweur, *swēr, from Proto-Germanic *swehuraz, from Proto-Indo-European *swéḱuros.
Inflection
This noun needs an inflection-table template.
Scots
Alternative forms
Etymology
From Middle English swere, from Old English swǣr, swār, from Proto-Germanic *swēraz (“heavy”). Cognate with West Frisian swier, Dutch zwaar, German schwer, Swedish svår.
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /swir/
Adjective
Related terms
Quotations
- 2000, The flouer's bonniness minded him o cantier times but the rose itsel wis mingin wi sweir connotations. But n Ben A-Go-Go p.6