swear

Meanings

1. 1
   verb

   to declare or affirm solemnly and formally as true

   Before God I swear I am innocent

2. 2
   verb

   To take an oath, to promise intensely, solemnly, and/or with legally binding effect.

   The knight swore not to return to the palace until he had found the treasure.

3. 3
   verb

   To take an oath that an assertion is true.

   The witness swore that the person she had seen running out of the bank was a foot shorter than the accused.

4. 4
   verb

   To promise intensely that something is true; to strongly assert.

   I swear I don't know what you're talking about.

5. 5
   verb

   To administer an oath to (a person).

   Let the witness be sworn.

6. 6
   verb

   To use offensive, profane, or obscene language.

   An Australian was once appointed on contract, but he swore too much.

7. 7
   noun

   A swear word.

   You might think it funny to hear this Kanaka girl come out with a big swear. No such thing. There was no swearing in her — no, nor anger; she was beyond anger, and meant the word simple and serious.

8. 8
   adj

   Dull; lazy; slow.

   Rise up gueedewife, an dinna be sweer, / B'soothan, b'soothan, / An deal yir chirity t' the peer, / An awa b'mony a toon.

Etymology

From Middle English sweren, swerien, from Old English swerian (“to swear, take an oath of office”), from Proto-West Germanic *swarjan, from Proto-Germanic *swarjaną (“to speak, swear”), from Proto-Indo-European *swer- (“to swear”). Cognate with West Frisian swarre (“to swear”), Saterland Frisian swera (“to swear”), Dutch zweren (“to swear, vow”), Low German swören (“to swear”), sweren, German schwören (“to swear”), Danish sværge, Swedish svära (“to swear”), Icelandic sverja (“to swear”), Russian свара (svara, “quarrel”). Also cognate to Albanian var (“to hang, consider, to depend from”) throug…