sweven

English

Etymology

From Middle English sweven, from Old English swefn (“sleep, dream, vision”), from Proto-West Germanic *swefn, from Proto-Germanic *swefną, *swefnaz (“sleep”), from Proto-Indo-European *swépnos, *supnós (“dream”), from Proto-Indo-European *swep- (“to sleep”). Cognate with Dutch suf (“drowsy”), Middle High German swēb (“sleep”), Danish søvn (“sleep”), Icelandic svefn (“sleep”), Norwegian søvn (“sleep”), Swedish sömn (“sleep”), Latin somnus (“sleep, slumber, drowsiness”), Sanskrit स्वप्न (svápna), Ancient Greek ὕπνος (húpnos).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈswɛvən/

Noun

sweven (plural swevens)

1. (archaic) A dream.
   • 1485, Sir Thomas Malory, “xiij”, in Le Morte Darthur, book I:

     The kynge with the honderd knyghtes mette a wonder dreme two nyghtes a fore the bataille / that ther blewe a grete wynde & blewe doun her castels and her townes / and after that cam a water and bare hit all awey / Alle that herd of the sweuen said / it was a token of grete batayll

     (please add an English translation of this quotation)

   • 1885, Sir Richard Burton, transl., The Thousand Nights and One Night:

     [The queen] went in to the Sultan and assured him that their daughter had suffered during all her wedding-night from swevens and nightmare.

2. (archaic) A vision.
   • The Golden Legend

     And then she said: Sir, hast thou seen the sweven that I have seen?

Related terms

• asweve
• sweb

Anagrams

• venews

Middle Dutch

Etymology

From Old Dutch sweven, from Proto-Germanic *swibāną.

Verb

swēven

1. to move back and forth
2. to wander
3. to float (on water)
4. to float (through the air)
5. to remain, to be (in a particular state)

Inflection

This verb needs an inflection-table template.

Descendants

• Dutch: zweven
• Limburgish: zwaeve, zweive, zwieëve

Further reading

• Verwijs, E., Verdam, J. (1885–1929) “sweven”, in Middelnederlandsch Woordenboek, The Hague: Martinus Nijhoff, →ISBN

Middle English

FWOTD – 19 February 2020

Etymology 1

From Old English swefn, from Proto-West Germanic *swefn, from Proto-Germanic *swefnaz, from Proto-Indo-European *swépnos. Some forms influenced by Old Norse söfn, an alternative form of svefn.

Alternative forms

• swevyn, swevon, swevene, swevne, swheven, squeven, sueven, seven, swene
• (Early ME) swefen, suefen, sweoven

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈswɛvən/, /ˈswɛːvən/

Noun

sweven (plural swevenes)

1. dream (especially a prophetic one)
   • c. 1395, John Wycliffe, John Purvey [et al.], transl., Bible (Wycliffite Bible (later version), MS Lich 10.)‎^[1], published c. 1410, Dedis of Apoſtlis 2:17, page 91v, column 2; republished as Wycliffe's translation of the New Testament, Lichfield: Bill Endres, 2010:

     ⁊ it ſchal be in þe laſte daies þe loꝛd ſeiþ · Y ſchal helde out my ſpirit on ech fleiſch · ⁊ ȝoure ſones and ȝoure douȝtris ſchulen p[ꝛo]pheſie ⁊ ȝoure ȝonge men ſchulen ſe viſioūs. ⁊ ȝoure eldris ſchulen dꝛeme ſweuenes

     "And it'll be in the last days, (when) the Lord says: "I'll hold out my Spirit on all the people; your sons and daughters will prophesy, your young men will see visions, and your elders will dream dreams […]

2. (waking) vision, premonition

Synonyms

• drem

Related terms

• swevenen
• swevenyng

Descendants

• English: sweven
• Scots: sweven, swevyn

References

• “swē̆ven, n.”, in MED Online, Ann Arbor, Mich.: University of Michigan, 2007, retrieved 2018-12-29.

Etymology 2

From Old English swefan, from Proto-West Germanic *swefan, from Proto-Germanic *swefaną.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈswɛːvən/

Verb

sweven

1. to put sb. to sleep
2. (figuratively) to become calm (of the sea)

Conjugation

Conjugation of sweven (weak in -ed)

infinitive	(to) sweven, sweve
	present tense	past tense
1st-person singular	sweve	sweved
2nd-person singular	swevest	swevedest
3rd-person singular	sweveth	sweved
subjunctive singular	sweve
imperative singular		—
plural1	sweven, sweve	sweveden, swevede
imperative plural	sweveth, sweve	—
participles	swevynge, swevende	sweved, ysweved

¹Sometimes used as a formal 2nd-person singular.

Derived terms

• asweved
• isweven

References

• “swēven, v.”, in MED Online, Ann Arbor, Mich.: University of Michigan, 2007.