# swear

Pronunciation: say "SWAIR" US /swɛɚ/, UK /swɛə(ɹ)/, AUS /sweː/

## Verb

1. To express oneself by using rude words, profanity, or obscenities.
   - Simple: To use rude or offensive words, often when angry.
   - _Some comedians swear constantly on stage as part of their act._
   - _She swore under her breath when the printer jammed again._
2. To take an oath, or to promise something solemnly, intensely, or with legally binding effect.
   - Simple: To make a serious promise, sometimes in a formal ceremony.
   - _Doctors swear to do no harm when they enter the profession._
   - _The knight swore loyalty to his king before the assembled court._
3. To promise emphatically that something is true; to assert strongly.
   - Simple: To say very strongly that something is true.
   - _I swear the keys were on the table an hour ago._
   - _My grandmother swore that cold water made the soup taste better._
4. To take a formal oath that a statement or assertion is true.
   - Simple: To make a formal promise, often in court, that what you say is true.
   - _Each witness must swear that the testimony they give will be truthful._
   - _She swore an affidavit confirming her whereabouts on the night in question._
6. To formally put someone under oath, as when a witness is about to testify.
   - Simple: To lead a person through an official promise, like the promise to tell the truth in court.
   - _Court officers swear each witness before testimony begins._
   - _A magistrate swore the interpreter before the hearing continued._
12. To laze about or take a brief rest during working hours. *(dialectal, Northern England, Scotland)*
   - Simple: To be lazy or rest for a short time during work hours.
   - _Mowing crews swear through the hottest hour, stretched out beneath the hedgerows._
   - _The old hand was swearing by the gate, hat over his eyes, while the carts were loaded._

## Noun

5. A profane or offensive word; an expletive.
   - Simple: A rude or offensive word that may shock or upset people.
   - _The jar on the counter collects a quarter for every swear uttered in the kitchen._
   - _His apology was buried under a string of swears._
11. A lazy spell; a short rest taken during working hours, especially in field labor; a siesta. *(dialectal, Northern England, Scotland)*
   - Simple: A short rest during work, especially farm work.
   - _Harvest crews earned their midday swear after six hours in the sun._
   - _The foreman allowed a swear when the heat grew unbearable._

## Adjective

7. Heavy; difficult to lift or bear because of weight. *(dialectal, Northern England, Scotland)*
   - Simple: Heavy and hard to lift or carry.
   - _The cart proved too swear for one horse on the steep lane._
   - _He shouldered the swear load of peat and started for home._
8. Reluctant or unwilling to do something. *(dialectal, Northern England, Scotland)*
   - Simple: Not willing or not wanting to do something.
   - _The farmer was swear to sell the field his father had cleared._
   - _Folk in the village were swear to speak with strangers._
9. Dull, lazy, or slow in movement or effort. *(dialectal, Northern England, Scotland)*
   - Simple: Lazy and slow to move or work.
   - _A swear horse is no use at plowing time._
   - _The whole crew grew swear in the afternoon heat._
10. Top-heavy or built too high, and therefore unstable. *(dialectal, Northern England, Scotland)*
   - Simple: Too heavy at the top, or built too high, so it may tip over.
   - _Stacked four crates high, the barrow was swear and hard to steer._
   - _The mason warned that the swear wall would not stand the winter._
13. Stingy; miserly; grudging in spending or giving. *(dialectal, Northern England, Scotland)*
   - Simple: Not willing to spend money or share things.
   - _The landlord was so swear that he grudged even a candle for the stair._
   - _A swear master pays late and feeds his men worse._

## Origin

**Meanings 1–4, 6** — From Middle English sweren, from Old English swerian ("to swear, take an oath"), going back through Proto-Germanic *swarjaną to a Proto-Indo-European root *swer- ("to swear"). It is related to Dutch zweren, German schwören, and Swedish svära. The original sense across the Germanic languages was "to take an oath"; the sense "to use bad language" developed in Middle English, based on the Christian prohibition against swearing and against invoking God's name.
**Meaning 5** — From the verb swear, or from Middle English sware, from Old English swaru, from Proto-Germanic *swarō.
**Meanings 7–13** — From Middle English swere, from Old English swǣr ("heavy, oppressive, grievous, slow, sluggish, weak"), from Proto-Germanic *swēraz ("heavy") and the Proto-Indo-European root *swer- ("heavy"). It is related to Dutch zwaar, German schwer, Swedish svår, and Latin sērius ("earnest, grave, serious").

Source: DictionaryAI, https://dictionaryai.com/define/swear (written from Wiktionary data, CC BY-SA 4.0: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/).