Source etymology 1
Original entry ↗To take an oath, to promise intensely, solemnly, and/or with legally binding effect. · To take an oath that an assertion is true. · To promise intensely that something is true; to strongly assert. · To administer an oath to (a person).
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).
Relationships mentioned by the source
These are extracted mentions, not a timeline or a verified sequence of immediate parents.
- Root classification mention*swer-ine-pro
- Inherited-form mentionswerenenm
- Inherited-form mentionswerianang · to swear, take an oath of office
- Inherited-form mention*swarjangmw-pro
- Inherited-form mention*swarjanągem-pro · to speak, swear
- Derivation mention*swer-ine-pro · to swear
- Cognate mentionswarrefy · to swear
- Cognate mentionswerastq · to swear
- Cognate mentionzwerennl · to swear, vow
- Cognate mentionswörennds · to swear
- Cognate mentionschwörende · to swear
- Cognate mentionsværgeda
- Cognate mentionsvärasv · to swear
- Cognate mentionsverjais · to swear
- Cognate mentionсвараru · quarrel
- Cognate mentionvarsq · to hang, consider, to depend from
This page abbreviates 1 auxiliary source items. The etymology narrative is not shortened. Omission counts are available in the audit fields below; consult the original for complete auxiliary material.
Inspect preserved source fields
Raw extraction fields are retained for auditing. Their order does not establish ancestry.
{
"templates": [
{
"name": "root",
"args": {
"1": "en",
"2": "ine-pro",
"3": "*swer-",
"id": "swear"
},
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},
{
"name": "inh",
"args": {
"1": "en",
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"3": "sweren"
},
"expansion": "Middle English sweren"
},
{
"name": "inh",
"args": {
"1": "en",
"2": "ang",
"3": "swerian",
"t": "to swear, take an oath of office"
},
"expansion": "Old English swerian (“to swear, take an oath of office”)"
},
{
"name": "inh",
"args": {
"1": "en",
"2": "gmw-pro",
"3": "*swarjan"
},
"expansion": "Proto-West Germanic *swarjan"
},
{
"name": "inh",
"args": {
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"2": "gem-pro",
"3": "*swarjaną",
"t": "to speak, swear"
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"expansion": "Proto-Germanic *swarjaną (“to speak, swear”)"
},
{
"name": "der",
"args": {
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"2": "ine-pro",
"3": "*swer-",
"t": "to swear"
},
"expansion": "Proto-Indo-European *swer- (“to swear”)"
},
{
"name": "cog",
"args": {
"1": "fy",
"2": "swarre",
"t": "to swear"
},
"expansion": "West Frisian swarre (“to swear”)"
},
{
"name": "cog",
"args": {
"1": "stq",
"2": "swera",
"t": "to swear"
},
"expansion": "Saterland Frisian swera (“to swear”)"
},
{
"name": "cog",
"args": {
"1": "nl",
"2": "zweren",
"t": "to swear, vow"
},
"expansion": "Dutch zweren (“to swear, vow”)"
},
{
"name": "cog",
"args": {
"1": "nds",
"2": "swören",
"t": "to swear"
},
"expansion": "Low German swören (“to swear”)"
},
{
"name": "cog",
"args": {
"1": "de",
"2": "schwören",
"t": "to swear"
},
"expansion": "German schwören (“to swear”)"
},
{
"name": "cog",
"args": {
"1": "da",
"2": "sværge"
},
"expansion": "Danish sværge"
},
{
"name": "cog",
"args": {
"1": "sv",
"2": "svära",
"t": "to swear"
},
"expansion": "Swedish svära (“to swear”)"
},
{
"name": "cog",
"args": {
"1": "is",
"2": "sverja",
"t": "to swear"
},
"expansion": "Icelandic sverja (“to swear”)"
},
{
"name": "cog",
"args": {
"1": "ru",
"2": "свара",
"t": "quarrel"
},
"expansion": "Russian свара (svara, “quarrel”)"
},
{
"name": "cog",
"args": {
"1": "sq",
"2": "var",
"t": "to hang, consider, to depend from"
},
"expansion": "Albanian var (“to hang, consider, to depend from”)"
}
],
"links": [
[
"sweren",
"sweren#Middle_English"
],
[
"swerien",
"swerien#Middle_English"
],
[
"swerian",
"swerian#Old_English"
],
[
"*swarjan",
"Reconstruction:Proto-West Germanic/swarjan"
],
[
"*swarjaną",
"Reconstruction:Proto-Germanic/swarjaną"
],
[
"*swer-",
"Reconstruction:Proto-Indo-European/swer-"
],
[
"swarre",
"swarre#West_Frisian"
],
[
"swera",
"swera#Saterland_Frisian"
],
[
"zweren",
"zweren#Dutch"
],
[
"swören",
"swören#Low_German"
],
[
"sweren",
"sweren#Low_German"
],
[
"schwören",
"schwören#German"
],
[
"sværge",
"sværge#Danish"
],
[
"svära",
"svära#Swedish"
],
[
"sverja",
"sverja#Icelandic"
],
[
"свара",
"свара#Russian"
],
[
"var",
"var#Albanian"
]
],
"references": [],
"descendants": [],
"lexical": [
{
"pos": "verb",
"glosses": [
"To take an oath, to promise intensely, solemnly, and/or with legally binding effect.",
"To take an oath that an assertion is true.",
"To promise intensely that something is true; to strongly assert.",
"To administer an oath to (a person)."
],
"tags": [
"ambitransitive",
"transitive"
],
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