svefja

Old Norse

Etymology

From Proto-Germanic *swabjaną. Akin to dialectal English sweb.

Verb

svefja (singular past indicative svafði, plural past indicative svǫfðu, past participle svafðr)

1. to lull to sleep
2. to assuage, to soothe

Conjugation

Conjugation of svefja — active (weak class 1)

infinitive	svefja
present participle	svefjandi
past participle	svafðr, svafiðr
indicative	present	past
1st-person singular	svef	svafða
2nd-person singular	svefr	svafðir
3rd-person singular	svefr	svafði
1st-person plural	svefjum	svǫfðum
2nd-person plural	svefið	svǫfðuð
3rd-person plural	svefja	svǫfðu
subjunctive	present	past
1st-person singular	svefja	svefða
2nd-person singular	svefir	svefðir
3rd-person singular	svefi	svefði
1st-person plural	svefim	svefðim
2nd-person plural	svefið	svefðið
3rd-person plural	svefi	svefði
imperative	present
2nd-person singular	svef
1st-person plural	svefjum
2nd-person plural	svefið

Conjugation of svefja — mediopassive (weak class 1)

infinitive	svefjask
present participle	svefjandisk
past participle	svafzk, svafizk
indicative	present	past
1st-person singular	svefjumk	svǫfðumk
2nd-person singular	svefsk	svafðisk
3rd-person singular	svefsk	svafðisk
1st-person plural	svefjumsk	svǫfðumsk
2nd-person plural	svefizk	svǫfðuzk
3rd-person plural	svefjask	svǫfðusk
subjunctive	present	past
1st-person singular	svefjumk	svefðumk
2nd-person singular	svefisk	svefðisk
3rd-person singular	svefisk	svefðisk
1st-person plural	svefimsk	svefðimsk
2nd-person plural	svefizk	svefðizk
3rd-person plural	svefisk	svefðisk
imperative	present
2nd-person singular	svefsk
1st-person plural	svefjumsk
2nd-person plural	svefizk

Related terms

• sofa (“to sleep”)
• svefn (“sleep”)
• svæfa
• sœfa, sǿfa (“to put to sleep; to kill”)

Descendants

• Icelandic: svefja

References

• “svefja”, in Geir T. Zoëga (1910) A Concise Dictionary of Old Icelandic, Oxford: Clarendon Press