sward - 08/29/10 09:23 PM
It's a little late for a topic of the week but there's so much to do.
Just because I like these etymology tidbits almost as much as poetry:
sward "grass-covered ground," O.E. sweard "skin, rind" (of bacon, etc.), from P.Gmc. *swarthu- (cf. O.Fris. swarde "skin of the head," M.Du. swarde "rind of bacon," Ger. Schwarte "thick, hard skin, rind," O.N. svörðr "walrus hide"). Meaning "sod, turf" developed c.1300, on notion of the "skin" of the earth (cf. O.N. grassvörðr, Dan. grønsvær "greensward").
sweart "black," from P.Gmc. *swartaz (cf. O.Fris., M.Du. swart, O.N. svartr, Ger. schwarz, Goth. swarts "dark-colored, black"), from PIE base *swordo- "dirty, dark, black" (source of sordid). The true Gmc. word for "black," surviving in the Continental languages.
sweord, from P.Gmc. *swerdan (cf. O.S., O.Fris. swerd, O.N. sverð, Swed. svärd, M.Du. swaert, Du. zwaard, O.H.G. swert, Ger. Schwert), related to O.H.G. sweran "to hurt," from *swertha-, lit. "the cutting weapon," from PIE base *swer- "to cut." Contrast with plowshare is from the O.T. (e.g. Isaiah ii.4, Micah iv.3). Swordfish is first attested c.1400; swordplay is O.E. sweordplege. Phrase put (originally do) to the sword "kill, slaughter" is recorded from mid-14c.
Just because I like these etymology tidbits almost as much as poetry:
sward "grass-covered ground," O.E. sweard "skin, rind" (of bacon, etc.), from P.Gmc. *swarthu- (cf. O.Fris. swarde "skin of the head," M.Du. swarde "rind of bacon," Ger. Schwarte "thick, hard skin, rind," O.N. svörðr "walrus hide"). Meaning "sod, turf" developed c.1300, on notion of the "skin" of the earth (cf. O.N. grassvörðr, Dan. grønsvær "greensward").
sweart "black," from P.Gmc. *swartaz (cf. O.Fris., M.Du. swart, O.N. svartr, Ger. schwarz, Goth. swarts "dark-colored, black"), from PIE base *swordo- "dirty, dark, black" (source of sordid). The true Gmc. word for "black," surviving in the Continental languages.
sweord, from P.Gmc. *swerdan (cf. O.S., O.Fris. swerd, O.N. sverð, Swed. svärd, M.Du. swaert, Du. zwaard, O.H.G. swert, Ger. Schwert), related to O.H.G. sweran "to hurt," from *swertha-, lit. "the cutting weapon," from PIE base *swer- "to cut." Contrast with plowshare is from the O.T. (e.g. Isaiah ii.4, Micah iv.3). Swordfish is first attested c.1400; swordplay is O.E. sweordplege. Phrase put (originally do) to the sword "kill, slaughter" is recorded from mid-14c.