Page:An Etymological Dictionary of the German Language.djvu/349

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is usually connected with Lat. sordes (for *svordes?), ‘dirt,’ and suâsum (for *suarsum), ‘black colour, dirty spot’; Lat. surdus ‘deaf,’ has also been referred, but with less probability, to the root sword, surd, ‘dark.’

schwätzen, vb., ‘to chatter, prate, gossip,’ from the equiv. MidHG. swętzen, allied to MidHG. swaz (tz), ‘talking, chattering’; an intensive form of a Teut. root swaþ. Comp. MidHG. swadern, swatern, ‘to chatter, rustle, clatter,’ of which the simply ModHG. schwadronieren is a Rom. derivative. There is no relation to Lat. suadere. Origin obscure.

schweben, vb., ‘to soar, hover,’ from MidHG. swëben, OHG. swëbên, ‘to soar, move to and from in or on water or in the air’; allied to OIc. svífa, ‘to rove, ramble,’ OHG. sweibôn, MidHG. sweiben, ‘to soar. roam.’ The Aryan root swiþ, ‘to move.’ on which these words are based, had also a variant swib preserved in ModHG. schweifen.

Schwefel, m., ‘brimstone, sulphur,’ from the equiv. MidHG. swëvel, swëbel, OHG. swëval, swëbal, m.; the f of the ModHG. form can only be explained by the influence of LG., as is shown by the double forms in MidHG. and OHG. A common Teut. word; comp. Du. zwavel, AS. swefl, Swed. swafvel, Goth. swibls, ‘sulphur.’ Lat. sulpur (for *suplur?) is probably not allied. If the OTeut. swebloz, ‘sulphur,’ is a primit. loan-word, it may perhaps be connected with the old Aryan root swep, ‘to sleep’ (Sans. svápnas, Lat. somnus, Gr. ὕπνος, AS. swëfn); comp. AS. swębban, ‘to kill,’ OIc. svœ́fa, ‘to kill, lull to sleep’; Schwefel may then be lit. ‘stifling, killing, soporific stuff.’

Schweif, m., ‘tail, train, suite,’ from MidHG. sweif, m., ‘rotation, encircling band, trimming of a garment, tail,’ OHG. sweif, OIc. sveipr, ‘encircling band’; allied to OHG. sweifan, ‘to cause to rotate, turn.’ With the Teut. root swaip, Gr. σόβη, ‘horsetail,’ cannot be connected. See the following word.

schweifen, vb., ‘to roam, rove, wander,’ from MidHG. sweifen, OHG. sweifan, ‘to cause to rotate, swing, wind’; comp. AS. swâpan, ‘to swing, sweep, tear,’ E. to swoop, to sweep, to which AS. and E. swift, Du. zweep, and LG. swipe, ‘whip,’ are allied.

schweigen, vb., ‘to keep silence, be silent,’ from the equiv. MidHG. swîgen,

OHG. swigên; comp. OSax. swîgôn, Du. swijgen, OFris. swîgia, AS. swī̆gian, ‘to be silent.’ The connection with Gr. σϊγάω, σῖγή, ‘silence,’ is undoubted, in spite of the abnormal correspondence of Gr. γ to Teut. g (for k); we must assume a double Aryan root swī̆g, swī̆q (the latter for the West Teut. words). ModHG. schweigen, vb., ‘to silence,’ from MidHG. and OHG. sweigen, ‘to reduce to silence,’ is a factitive of the foregoing schweigen.

Schwein, n., ‘pig, hog,’ from the equiv. MidHG. and OHG. swîn, n.; corresponding to the equiv. OSax. swîn, Du. zwijn, AS. swîn, E. swine, OIc. svín, Goth. swein. These imply a primit. Teut. swîno-m, n., ‘pig,’ which must have been orig. a dimin. of Sau, ‘sucking pig, young pig’ (the OTeut. suffix -îna- was a favourite one in designating the young of animals; see Küchlein and Füllen), in the form of su-îna-m, ‘the young of the sow’ (primit. Teut. sû, ‘sow’). On account of the great prolificness of pigs, and hence the immense number of young pigs, the dimin. was used for the species?.

Schweiß, m., ‘sweat, perspiration,’ from the equiv. MidHG. and OHG. sweiȥ, m.; MidHG. also ‘blood,’ a meaning still current among sportsmen (so too schweißen, ‘to bleed’); OSax. swêt, ‘sweat,’ AS. swât, ‘sweat, blood,’ E. sweat, Du. zweet. For the Teut. root swī̆t, swait, Aryan swoid, swī̆d, see under schwißen; comp. Sans. svẽda-s, m., Lat. sudor (from *svoidos), ‘sweat.’ To this is allied schweißen, vb., ‘to begin to melt, weld,’ from MidHG. sweiȥen, sweitzen, ‘to weld, OHG. sweiȥen, ‘to roast, broil.’

schwelen, vb., ‘to burn slowly, smoulder,’ ModHG. only, from LG. For the Teut. root swel in OHG. swilizôn, ‘to burn slowly’, and AS. swëlan, ‘to glow,’ see under schwül.

schwelgen, vb. ‘to guzzle, carouse, revel,’ from MidHG. swëlgen, swëlhen, ‘to swallow, gulp down, drink,’ OHG. swëlgan, swëlahan, ‘to swallow, gulp down’; comp. OSax. far-swëlgan, ‘to gulp down,’ Du. zwelgen, ‘to swallow,’ zwelg, ‘draught,’ AS. swëlgan, E. to swallow, OIc. svelgja, ‘to swallow’; Goth. *swilhan is wanting. A Teut. root. swëlh (swëlg by grammatical change), from pre-Teut. swelk, is not found elsewhere. See Schwalch.

Schwelle, f., ‘threshold, sill,’ from MidHG. swęlle, f. and n., ‘beam, threshold.’ OHG. swęlli, m., ‘threshold’; Goth. *swalli,