sweer

English

Alternative forms

• swear
• sweir (Scotland)

Etymology

From Middle English swer, sware, from Old English swǣr, swār (“heavy, of great weight, oppressive, grievous, painful, unpleasant, great, sad, feeling or expressing grief, grave, slow, dull, sluggish, slothful, indolent, inactive from weakness, enfeebled, weak”), from Proto-Germanic *swēraz, *swērijaz (“heavy”), from Proto-Indo-European *swēr- (“heavy”). Cognate with West Frisian swier (“heavy, burdensome, onerous, pregnant”), Dutch zwaar (“heavy, hard, difficult”), German schwer (“difficult, hard, heavy”), Swedish svår (“hard, severe, difficult, heavy”), Latin sērius (“earnest, serious”), Lithuanian swarus (“heavy”), Albanian var (“to hang, burden, annoy”).

Pronunciation

• IPA: /swɪə/

Adjective

sweer (comparative more sweer, superlative most sweer)

1. (UK dialectal) Heavy.
2. (UK dialectal) Dull; indolent; lazy.
3. (UK dialectal) Reluctant; unwilling; disinclined.

Anagrams

• ewers, re-sew, resew, sewer

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Scots

Alternative forms

• sweir

Etymology

Old English swǣr. Cognate with West Frisian swier, Dutch zwaar, German schwer, Swedish svår.

Pronunciation

• IPA: /swir/

Adjective

sweer (comparative mair sweer, superlative maist sweer)

1. reluctant, unwilling
2. sad, depressed
3. lazy
4. depressing

Related terms

• sweirt

Quotations

• 2000, The flouer's bonniness minded him o cantier times but the rose itsel wis mingin wi sweir connotations. But n Ben A-Go-Go p.6