svinna

Old Norse

Etymology

(This etymology is missing or incomplete. Please add to it, or discuss it at the Etymology scriptorium.)

Noun

svinna f (genitive svinnu, plural svinnur)

1. sagacity, good sense

Declension

Declension of svinna (weak ōn-stem)

feminine	singular		plural
	indefinite	definite	indefinite	definite
nominative	svinna	svinnan	svinnur	svinnurnar
accusative	svinnu	svinnuna	svinnur	svinnurnar
dative	svinnu	svinnunni	svinnum	svinnunum
genitive	svinnu	svinnunnar	svinnna	svinnnanna

Swedish

Etymology

Borrowed from German schwinden.

Verb

svinna (present svinner, preterite svann, supine svunnit, imperative svinn)

1. to cease, to vanish, to disappear, to diminish, to fade

   medan dagen svann för natten, medan natten svann för dagen.

   as the day gave way to the night, as the night gave way for the day.

   Nu synen svann – på öde torg sken månen ner, / Och jag stod ensam kvar men ej som främling mer.

   Now my vision faded – on the lonely square the moon shone down, / And I was left alone but a stranger no more.

   • Shakespeare: Hamlet, act 1, scene 2, Horatio speaking:

     Men tuppen gol i samma ögonblick, Och vid dess gälla ljud han for sin väg Och svann utur vår syn.

     But even then the morning cock crew loud, / And at the sound it shrunk in haste away / And vanished from our sight.

Usage notes

• Only used in poetic, romantic style. The modern word is försvinna.

Conjugation

Conjugation of svinna (class 3 strong)

	active		passive
infinitive	svinna		—
supine	svunnit		—
imperative	svinn		—
imper. plural1	svinnen		—
	present	past	present	past
indicative	svinner	svann	—	—
ind. plural1	svinna	svunno	—	—
subjunctive2	svinne	svunne	—	—
present participle		svinnande
past participle		svunnen

¹ Archaic. ² Dated. See the appendix on Swedish verbs.

Derived terms

• svinn
• svunnen (“bygone”)

References

• svinna in Svenska Akademiens ordlista (SAOL)
• svinna in Svenska Akademiens ordbok (SAOB)
• svinna in Elof Hellquist, Svensk etymologisk ordbok (1st ed., 1922)

Anagrams

• vinnas