swefn
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Old English[edit]
Alternative forms[edit]
Etymology[edit]
From Proto-West Germanic *swefn, from Proto-Germanic *swefnaz (“sleep, dream”), from Proto-Indo-European *swépnos.
Cognate with Old Saxon sweƀan, Old Norse svefn. The Indo-European root also led to Ancient Greek ὕπνος (húpnos), Latin somnus, Old Irish suan, Old Church Slavonic сънъ (sŭnŭ), Lithuanian sãpnas.
Pronunciation[edit]
Noun[edit]
swefn n
- dream
- Iċ ġefylde mīn swefn.
- I fulfilled my dream.
- Iċ nǣfre ne ġeman mīnra swefna.
- I never remember my dreams.
Usage notes[edit]
- “To have a dream” is expressed with mǣtan (“to dream”), not habban (“to have”): Ġiestran niht mē mǣtte swefn þæt iċ wǣre fram wulfe forswolgen (“Last night I had [lit. dreamed] a dream that I was devoured by a wolf”).
Declension[edit]
Declension of swefn (strong a-stem)
Derived terms[edit]
Descendants[edit]
- Middle English: sweven, swevyn, swevon, swevene, swevne, swheven, squeven, sueven, seven, swene; swefen, suefen, sweoven
See also[edit]
Categories:
- Old English terms derived from Proto-Indo-European
- Old English terms derived from the Proto-Indo-European root *swep-
- Old English terms derived from Proto-West Germanic
- Old English terms inherited from Proto-West Germanic
- Old English terms inherited from Proto-Germanic
- Old English terms derived from Proto-Germanic
- Old English terms inherited from Proto-Indo-European
- Old English terms with IPA pronunciation
- Old English lemmas
- Old English nouns
- Old English neuter nouns
- Old English terms with usage examples
- Old English neuter a-stem nouns