sceawian

Old English

Etymology

From Proto-West Germanic *skauwōn, from Proto-Germanic *skawwōną. Cognate with Old Frisian skawia, Old Saxon skawon, Old Dutch skouwon (Dutch schouwen), Old High German scouwōn (German schauen).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈʃæ͜ɑː.wi.ɑn/

Verb

sċēawian

1. to watch or look at
   • c. 992, Ælfric, "Midlent Sunday"

     On ōðre wīsan wē sċēawiaþ mētinge and on ōðre wīsan stafas. Ne gǣþ nā māre tō mētinge būtan þæt þū hit ġesēo and herie. Nis nā ġenōg þæt þū stafas sċēawiġe būtan þū hīe ēac rǣde and þæt andġiet understande.

     We look at pictures in one way and letters in another. You don't do anything with a painting except see it and praise it. Looking at letters is not enough unless you also read them and understand the meaning.

   • c. 992, Ælfric, "On the Nativity of our Lord"

     We mihton eow secgan ane lytle bysne, gif hit to wáclic nære; Scēawa nú on anum æge, hú þæt hwite ne bið gemenged to ðam geolcan, and bið hwæðere án æg. Nis eac Cristes godcundnys gerunnen to ðære menniscnysse, ac he þurhwunað þeah á on ecnysse on anum hade untotwæmed.

     We might tell unto you a little simile, if it were not too mean; Look now on an egg, how the white is not mingled with the yolk, and yet it is one egg. Nor also is Christ's divinity confounded with human nature, but he continueth to all eternity in one person undivided.

2. to examine, scrutinize
3. to show (+accusative)
   • late 9th century, King Alfred's translation of Saint Augustine's Soliloquies

     ...Gyf ðū ēnigne gōdne heorde hæbbe þe wel cunne healdan þæt þæt þū gestrēone and him befæste, scēawa hyne me;

     ...If thou have any good steward that can well hold that which thou gettest and committest unto him, show him to me;...

Conjugation

Conjugation of sċēawian (weak class 2)

infinitive	sċēawian	sċēawienne
indicative mood	present tense	past tense
first person singular	sċēawiġe	sċēawode
second person singular	sċēawast	sċēawodest
third person singular	sċēawaþ	sċēawode
plural	sċēawiaþ	sċēawodon
subjunctive	present tense	past tense
singular	sċēawiġe	sċēawode
plural	sċēawiġen	sċēawoden
imperative
singular	sċēawa
plural	sċēawiaþ
participle	present	past
	sċēawiende	(ġe)sċēawod

Derived terms

• besċēawian
• foresċēawian
• ġeondsċēawian
• ġesċēawian
• ofersċēawian
• sċēawere
• sċēawiend
• sċēawung
• ymbsċēawian

Descendants

• Middle English: schawen, schewen, schowen, sheuen
  • Scots: schaw, schew, schow, shaw
  • English: shew, show