swear
Part of speech: verb
noun
adj
Morphological type: simple
Etymology: 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).
Inflected forms:
form: swears
pos: verb
tags: present
singular
third-person
form: swearing
pos: verb
tags: participle
present
form: swore
pos: verb
tags: past
form: sware
pos: verb
tags: archaic
past
form: sworn
pos: verb
tags: participle
past
form: swore
pos: verb
tags: nonstandard
participle
past
form: swears
pos: noun
tags: plural
form: swearer
pos: adj
tags: comparative
form: more swear
pos: adj
tags: comparative
form: swearest
pos: adj
tags: superlative
form: most swear
pos: adj
tags: superlative
form: sweer
pos: adj
tags: alternative
form: sweir
pos: adj
tags: alternative
form: swere
pos: adj
tags: alternative
Senses:
gloss: To take an oath, to promise intensely, solemnly, and/or with legally binding effect.
pos: verb
tags: ambitransitive
examples: The knight swore not to return to the palace until he had found the treasure.
gloss: To take an oath that an assertion is true.
pos: verb
tags: transitive
examples: The witness swore that the person she had seen running out of the bank was a foot shorter than the accused.
gloss: To promise intensely that something is true; to strongly assert.
pos: verb
tags: transitive
examples: I swear I don't know what you're talking about.
My little brother is such a pest, I swear.
The Bat—they called him the Bat.[…]. He'd never been in stir, the bulls had never mugged him, he didn't run with a mob, he played a lone hand, and fenced his stuff so that even the fence couldn't swear he knew his face.
gloss: To administer an oath to (a person).
pos: verb
tags: transitive
examples: Let the witness be sworn.
gloss: To use offensive, profane, or obscene language.
pos: verb
tags: ambitransitive
examples: An Australian was once appointed on contract, but he swore too much.
gloss: A swear word.
pos: noun
examples: 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.
[A]ccording to his kind the man would smile cynically, or look sad, or let out a swear or two.
gloss: Heavy.
pos: adj
tags: Northern-England
Scotland
gloss: Top-heavy; too high.
pos: adj
tags: Northern-England
Scotland
gloss: Dull; lazy; slow.
pos: adj
tags: Northern-England
Scotland
examples: Rise up gueedewife, an dinna be sweer, / B'soothan, b'soothan, / An deal yir chirity t' the peer, / An awa b'mony a toon.
gloss: Reluctant; unwilling.
pos: adj
tags: Northern-England
Scotland
examples: But faith, to glump ye I'd be sweer / I wish ye luck o' this new year
My father will maybe be a wee sweer to take ye in, but ye maun make your way on him the best gate ye can; he has the best stockit pantry on Teviot head, but a bit of a Laidlaw's fault, complaining aye maist when he has least reason.
gloss: Niggardly.
pos: adj
tags: Northern-England
Scotland
examples: For if my Pen shall turn as Sweir's their Purse / I fear this is the last I'll write in Verse
Synonyms: swear
blaspheme
curse
curse like a pagan
curse like a trooper
curse like a sailor
cuss
eff and blind
eff and jeff
execrate
imprecate
swear like a cutter
swear like a pagan
swear like a trooper
swear like a sailor
turn the air blue
vilify
Antonyms: mind one's language
Related words: cuss up a blue streak
pardon my French
potty mouth
swearing
swear word
Derived words: answer
beswear
could have sworn
counterswear
forswear
I swear
misswear
outswear
overswear
pinky swear
reswear
re-swear
say you swear
swearable
swear at
swear blind
swear by
swear down
swear in
swear like a cutter
swear like a pagan
swear like a sailor
swear like a trooper
swear off
swear on
swear on a stack
swear on a stack of Bibles
swear out
swearsies
swearsome
swear the peace
swear to God
swear upon
swear word
unswear
sweary
swearness
swearock
Translations:
lang: Southern Altai
word: карганар
roman: karganar
lang: Arabic
word: حَلَفَ
roman: ḥalafa
lang: Arabic
word: أَقْسَمَ
roman: ʔaqsama
lang: Arabic
word: حلف
roman: ḥalaf
lang: Armenian
word: երդվել
roman: erdvel
lang: Armenian
word: երդվեցնել
roman: erdvecʻnel
lang: Aromanian
word: giur
lang: Asturian
word: xurar
lang: Azerbaijani
word: and içmək
lang: Belarusian
word: кля́сціся
roman: kljáscisja
lang: Belarusian
word: пакля́сціся
roman: pakljáscisja
lang: Belarusian
word: прысяга́ць
roman: prysjahácʹ
lang: Belarusian
word: прысягну́ць
roman: prysjahnúcʹ
lang: Bengali
word: কসম করা
roman: kôsôm kôra
lang: Bulgarian
word: закле́вам се
roman: zaklévam se
lang: Bulgarian
word: кълна́ се
roman: kǎlná se
lang: Burmese
word: ကျိန်
roman: kyin
lang: Catalan
word: jurar
lang: Chinese Mandarin
word: 發誓 /发誓
roman: fāshì
lang: Chinese Mandarin
word: 賭咒 /赌咒
roman: dǔzhòu
lang: Ngazidja Comorian
word: ulapva
lang: Czech
word: přísahat
lang: Danish
word: sværge
lang: Dutch
word: zweren
lang: Dutch
word: een eed afleggen
lang: Esperanto
word: ĵuri
lang: Faroese
word: svørja
lang: Finnish
word: vannoa
lang: French
word: jurer
lang: Friulian
word: zurâ
lang: Friulian
word: ğurâ
lang: Galician
word: xurar
lang: Georgian
word: დაფიცება
roman: dapiceba
lang: Georgian
word: ფიცი
roman: pici
lang: German
word: schwören
lang: Greek
word: ορκίζομαι
roman: orkízomai
lang: Ancient Greek
word: ὄμνυμι
roman: ómnumi
lang: Hebrew
word: נשבע
roman: nishbá
lang: Hungarian
word: esküszik
lang: Icelandic
word: sverja
lang: Ido
word: jurar
lang: Italian
word: giurare
lang: Japanese
word: 誓う
roman: chikau
lang: Japanese
word: 契る
roman: chigiru
lang: Kabuverdianu
word: jura
lang: Khmer
word: សច្ចា
roman: sɑɑsɑccaa
lang: Khmer
word: សាបាន
roman: saabaan
lang: Khmer
word: ស្បថ
roman: sbɑt
lang: Korean
word: 맹세하다
roman: maengsehada
lang: Central Kurdish
word: سوێند خواردن
roman: swênd xwardin
lang: Kyrgyz
word: каргануу
roman: karganuu
lang: Lao
word: ສະບານ
roman: sa bān
lang: Latin
word: iūrō
lang: Low German
word: swören
lang: Macedonian
word: се колне
roman: se kolne
lang: Maguindanao
word: sapa
lang: Malayalam
word: ആണയിടുക
roman: āṇayiṭuka
lang: Malayalam
word: സത്യം ചെയ്യുക
roman: satyaṁ ceyyuka
lang: Maltese
word: naħlef
lang: Maranao
word: sapa'
lang: Mauritian Creole
word: zoure
lang: Megleno-Romanian
word: jur
lang: Mongolian
word: амлах
roman: amlax
lang: Mongolian
word: ᠠᠮᠠᠯᠠᠬᠤ
roman: amalaqu
lang: Norman
word: juther
lang: Norwegian Bokmål
word: sverge
lang: Norwegian Nynorsk
word: sverja
lang: Norwegian Nynorsk
word: sverje
lang: Occitan
word: jurar
lang: Old Norse
word: sverja
lang: Persian
word: سوگند خوردن
roman: sowgand xordan
lang: Persian
word: قسم خوردن
roman: qasam xordan
lang: Polish
word: przysięgać
lang: Polish
word: przysiąc
lang: Polish
word: przyrzekać
lang: Polish
word: przyrzec
lang: Polish
word: kląć się
lang: Polish
word: zaklinać się
lang: Portuguese
word: jurar
lang: Romanian
word: jura
lang: Russian
word: кля́сться
roman: kljástʹsja
lang: Russian
word: покля́сться
roman: pokljástʹsja
lang: Russian
word: присяга́ть
roman: prisjagátʹ
lang: Russian
word: присягну́ть
roman: prisjagnútʹ
lang: Sardinian
word: giurài
lang: Sardinian
word: giurare
lang: Sardinian
word: zurare
lang: Serbo-Croatian
word: клети се
lang: Serbo-Croatian
word: kleti se
lang: Sicilian
word: giurari
lang: Sicilian
word: jurari
lang: Slovak
word: prisahať
lang: Slovene
word: prisegati
lang: Slovene
word: priseči
lang: Spanish
word: jurar
lang: Swahili
word: -apa
lang: Swedish
word: svära
lang: Swedish
word: svärja
lang: Tajik
word: қасам хурдан
roman: qasam xurdan
lang: Tajik
word: савганд ёд кардан
roman: savgand yod kardan
lang: Telugu
word: ఒట్టు పెట్టు
roman: oṭṭu peṭṭu
lang: Telugu
word: ప్రమాణం చేయు
roman: pramāṇaṁ cēyu
lang: Thai
word: สาบาน
roman: sǎa-baan
lang: Turkish
word: ant içmek
lang: Turkish
word: yemin etmek
lang: Ukrainian
word: кля́стися
roman: kljástysja
lang: Ukrainian
word: клясти́ся
roman: kljastýsja
lang: Ukrainian
word: покля́стися
roman: pokljástysja
lang: Ukrainian
word: поклясти́ся
roman: pokljastýsja
lang: Ukrainian
word: присяга́ти
roman: prysjaháty
lang: Ukrainian
word: присягну́ти
roman: prysjahnúty
lang: Uzbek
word: qasamyod qilmoq
lang: Venetan
word: giurar
lang: Vietnamese
word: thề
lang: Walloon
word: djurer
lang: Welsh
word: tyngu