sweltan
Middle English edit
Verb edit
sweltan
- (Early Middle English) Alternative form of swelten
Old English edit
Alternative forms edit
Etymology edit
From Proto-West Germanic *sweltan, from Proto-Germanic *sweltaną. Cognate with Old Saxon sweltan, Old Dutch *sweltan, Old High German swelzan, Old Norse svelta, Gothic 𐍃𐍅𐌹𐌻𐍄𐌰𐌽 (swiltan).
Pronunciation edit
Verb edit
sweltan
- to die
- Far þū wel! Ealle menn sċulon sweltan.
- Farewell! All men must die.
Usage notes edit
- Dying "of" something can be expressed with the dative or instrumental case: Mē is lēofre þæt iċ hungre swelte þonne sċame (“I'd rather die of hunger than of shame”). Various prepositions are also commonly used, namely mid, for, and on, the latter especially with diseases: Þū ġefōre on ūtsihte (“You have died of dysentery”).
- The dative/instrumental is also used for "dying [a certain kind of] death": Sibsume dēaðe hēo swealt (“She died a peaceful death”).
Conjugation edit
Conjugation of sweltan (strong class 3)
| infinitive | sweltan | sweltenne |
|---|---|---|
| indicative mood | present tense | past tense |
| first person singular | swelte | swealt |
| second person singular | swilst, swiltst | swulte |
| third person singular | swilt | swealt |
| plural | sweltaþ | swulton |
| subjunctive | present tense | past tense |
| singular | swelte | swulte |
| plural | swelten | swulten |
| imperative | ||
| singular | swelt | |
| plural | sweltaþ | |
| participle | present | past |
| sweltende | (ġe)swolten | |
Synonyms edit
- See Thesaurus:sweltan.
Derived terms edit
Descendants edit
Descendants edit
Old Saxon edit
Etymology edit
From Proto-West Germanic *sweltan, from Proto-Germanic *sweltaną, whence also Old English sweltan, modern Dutch zwelten.
Pronunciation edit
Verb edit
sweltan
- to die
- gisāhun iro barn qualmu sueltan — they saw their child die (Heliand, verse 750)
Conjugation edit
Conjugation of sweltan (strong class 3)
| infinitive | sweltan | |
|---|---|---|
| indicative | present | past |
| 1st person singular | swiltu | swalt |
| 2nd person singular | swiltis | swulti |
| 3rd person singular | swiltid | swalt |
| plural | sweltad | swultun |
| subjunctive | present | past |
| 1st person singular | swelte | swulti |
| 2nd person singular | sweltes | swultis |
| 3rd person singular | swelte | swulti |
| plural | swelten | swultin |
| imperative | present | |
| singular | swelt | |
| plural | sweltad | |
| participle | present | past |
| swiltandi | giswoltan, swoltan | |