Etymology Explorer › Old English

Where does “swerian” come from?

swerian (Old English) comes from Proto-West Germanic swarjan, from Proto-Germanic swarjaną, from Proto-Indo-European swēr- — heavy.

swerian (Old English): to swear , to promise

Definitions

  1. to swear , to promise

Ancestry of “swerian”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Proto-West Germanicswarjanto swear
2Proto-Germanicswarjanąto swear
3Proto-Indo-Europeanswēr-heavy

Words derived from “swerian”

  • swear
  • sworn
  • swearing
  • forswear
  • forsworn
  • swearer
  • unsworn
  • sweer
  • swearest
  • outswear
  • nonsworn
  • unswear
  • sweary
  • reswear
  • forswearer
  • nonswearing
  • forsweareth
  • swearable
  • manswear
  • swearsome
  • beswear
  • forswearest
  • misswear
  • swearsies
Every word from Proto-Indo-European swēr- →