▪ I. swire
(swaɪə(r))
Forms: α. 1 sweora, 2 sweor, 2–3 swore, 2–4 sweore; 3–4 suere, 3–5 swere, (4 zuere), 4–6 sweere. β. 1 swiora, swyra, swira, suira, swura, 3 swiere, 3–4 swure, (4 suire, suyre, swyer), 4–6 swyr, (5 squyre, 6 swyir, 7 suir), 4–9 swyre, 3– swire. γ. Chiefly Sc. 5–6 swar, 5–6, 9 sware, 6, 8–9 swair, (9 squair).
[OE. swéora, sw{iacu}ora, Northumb. and late WS. sw{iacu}ra, late WS. sw{yacu}ra, sw{uacu}ra wk. m.:—OTeut. *swerhan-, related to ON. sv{iacu}ri neck, beak of a ship, local name of a neck-shaped ridge in Iceland:—*swerhjan-; ulterior relations uncertain.
It is not certain whether the forms swar(e, swair, which are chiefly Sc., have arisen from false analogy (cf., e.g., quair, quere, quire, and sware, swere, swire), or through exigency of rime.]
† 1. The neck. Obs.
| α and βc 888 ælfred Boeth. xix. §1 Þæt ᵹe underlutan mid eowrum swiran þet deaðlice ᵹeoc. a 900 Lorica Gloss. 21 in O.E. Texts 172 Cladam, swiran [altered to swioran later]. 971 Blickl. Hom. 223 Þa he þa Sanctus Martinus þæt ᵹeseah, þa dyde he sona þæt hræᵹl of his sweoran. Ibid. 241 Ᵹif eow swa liciᵹe uton sendon rap on his swyran. c 1000 ælfric Gloss. in Wr.-Wülcker 157/38 Collum, sweora uel swura. c 1175 Lamb. Hom. 49 Þenne ualleð he þer inne þet him brekeð þe sweore. c 1200 Moral Ode 146 in Trin. Coll. Hom. 224 Swines brade is wel swete swo is of wilde diere Ac al to dire he hit abuið þe ȝiefð þar-fore his swiere [earlier version dore, swore]. c 1205 Lay. 4012 Heo cærf him þene swure [c 1275 swere] atwa. a 1225 Leg. Kath. 2233 Streche forð þine swire scharp sweord to underfonne. 1303 R. Brunne Handl. Synne 5028 Ely..fyl bakward of hys chayre, And brak on two hys swyer. 13.. K. Alis. 1938 (Laud MS.) Vp he dresseþ heued & swire And gynneþ speke on þis maner. c 1380 Sir Ferumb. 3643 Ys scheld þan heng he aboute ys swyre, And forþ he prykede with gret yre. 1390 Gower Conf. II. 30 Sche aboute hire whyte swere It dede, and hyng hirselven there. a 1400 Leg. Rood (1871) 134 Mi mouþ I pulte, my sweore I streiȝt To cusse his feet. c 1400 Melayne 36 Ladyes swete of Swyre. c 1430 Syr Gener. (Roxb.) 1175 She leid hir arme about his swere, She kyssed him with hertie chere. c 1470 Henry Wallace iv. 316 Vpon the hede he straik with so gret ire, Throu bayne and brayn in sondyr schar the swyr. 1501 Douglas Pal. Hon. i. xvii, Vp be the swire Myself I hangit. ? a 1600 Marr. Sir Gawain ii. 58 in Percy's Reliques (1857) 388 Sir Kay beheld that lady's face And looked upon her sweere. |
| γ c 1440 Bone Flor. 441 But yf he to hym hys doghtur geve, That ys so swete of sware [rimes fare, thare, mare]. c 1450 Holland Howlat 171 Swannis suowchand full swyth, swetest of swar [rimes blythar, war, ar]. c 1470 Gol. & Gaw. 1053 Mony sweit thing of sware swownit full oft. 1501 Douglas Pal. Hon. i. x, A Quene, as lyllie sweit of swair. 1513 Douglas æneis i. ii. 37 That lillie quhite of [ed. 1553 erron. as] swair. |
2. A hollow near the summit of a mountain or hill; a gentle depression between two hills. local (occurs in several place-names in Scotland and the north of England).
OE. ᵹesweoru translates Latin colles in Ags. Ps. (ed. Thorpe). OE. sweoru is used also = neck of water or strait, L. fretum.
| c 1050 Voc. in Wr.-Wülcker 427/13 Iuga, duna swioran. c 1216 Newminster Cartul. (1878) 77 Ad crucem positam super le Swire de Fastside. 1375 Barbour Bruce xvii. 13 Fra Redis swyr till Orkynnay. a 1508 Dunbar Tua Mariit Wemen 519 The soft souch of the swyr, and sovne of the stremys. 1513 Douglas æneis iv. iv. 50 Lo! ther the rais, rynning swyft as fyre, Drevin from the hychtis brekkis out at the swyre. 1573 Satir. Poems Reform. xxxix. 350 He raid throw montanes mony, mose, and myre..Then wes he worsland our ane wondie swyre. a 1598 D. Ferguson Prov. (1641) §608 Little kens the wife that sits by the fire, how the wind blaws on hurly-burly swire. 1790 A. Tait in Contemp. Burns (1844) 144 Then from Dewar's Swair I tripped on my shanks. 1820 W. Chambers Life Bl. Dwarf (1885) 1 A gentle rising hill to the south-west, called Manor Swire. 1893 Northumbld. Gloss. |
3. attrib. and Comb. † swire-bone = neckbone; † swireforth adv., neck forward, headlong.
| c 825 Vesp. Hymns vi. 28 in O.E.T. 408 Usque ad cervices, oð swirban. c 1230 Hali Meid. 23 Leste hwase leope..& driue adun swireuorð, wiðuten ikepunge, deope into helle. ? a 1400 Morte Arth. 2959 The swyers swyre-bane he swappes in sondyre! |
▪ II. swire
dial. form of squire n.