▪ I. sway, n.
(sweɪ)
Forms: 4–5 sweighe, 4–5, 8 sweigh, 4–6 (9 dial.) swey, 5 swegh, sweyh, sweyȝ, swyȝe, 5–6 sweygh, 6 swaie, swaye, swaigh(e, swea, suey, suai, 8–9 dial. swee, swye, 6– sway.
[In branch I f. sway v.; with sense 1 cf. EFris. swei movement in a curve. In branch II partly of different origin; for sense 12 cf. ON. sveigr (Sw. sveg, Norw. sveig) switch, twig.]
I. The action of the verb sway.
† 1. The motion of a rotating or revolving body.
| c 1374 Chaucer Boeth. i. met. v. 13 (Camb. MS.) O Thow..which..tornest the heuene with a Rauessyng sweyh [v.r. sweighe]. Ibid. ii. pr. i. 22 The swyftnesse and the sweyȝ [v.r. sweyes] of hir [sc. Fortune's] turnynge wheel. c 1386 ― Man of Law's T. 198 O firste moeuyng crueel firmament, With thy diurnal sweigh that crowdest ay And hurlest al from Est til Occident. 1412–20 Lydg. Chron. Troy ii. 2024 As Fortune..List on hir whele make a man ascende,..And with a swyȝe þrow hym to meschaunce. 1426 ― De Guil. Pilgr. 12234, iiij spookys..Set vp-on an Extre large, Of the sweygh to bere the charge. 1598 Sylvester Du Bartas ii. i. iv. Handie-crafts 578 To know Heav'n's course, and how their constant swaies Divide the year in months, the months in dayes. 1601 Shakes. Jul. C. i. iii. 3 Are not you mou'd, when all the sway of Earth Shakes, like a thing vnfirme? 1610 Histrio-m. i. 227 Turne a huge wheele: contrary to the sway Place me a flye uppon't. |
2. a. The sweeping or swinging motion of a heavy body, a storm, etc.; the impetus or momentum of a body, etc. in motion. Obs. or dial.
| c 1374 Chaucer Troylus ii. 1383 Whan þat þe sturdy ok..Receyued hath þe happy fallyng strok The grete sweigh doth it to come al at onys. c 1540 tr. Pol. Verg. Eng. Hist. (Camden No. 29) 16 The bridge..being broken with the swey of people that thronged over the same. 1568 V. Skinner tr. Montanus' Inquisition 24 b, That he may fall downe with a sway. 1577 B. Googe Heresbach's Husb. iv. (1586) 188 Great Maules and Beetels, which the more angerly the Beare shoueth aside, with the greater sway they come vppon his head againe. 1590 Spenser F.Q. ii. x. 15 Untill a nation straunge,..with their importune sway, This land invaded with like violence. 1645 Ussher Body Div. (1647) 74 In a field there are many battels,..yet all turn head with one sway at once. 1667 Milton P.L. vi. 251 With huge two-handed sway Brandisht aloft the horrid edge came down. 1700 Dryden Ceyx & Alc. 167 The hero tenth advanc'd before the rest Sweeps all before him with impetuous sway. 1757 Gray Bard 75 Regardless of the sweeping whirlwind's sway. 1802 James Milit. Dict., Sway, the swing or sweep of a weapon. 1815 Shelley Alastor 387 Seized by the sway of the ascending stream. 1825 Scott Talism. xxvii, The glittering broadsword..descended with the sway of some terrific engine. |
| fig. 1553 N. Grimalde Cicero's Offices i. (1558) 47 They feele nothing but pleasure and therunto be caried with their holle sweygh [orig. omni impetu]. 1579 Fenton Guicciard. 831 So that the whole swaigh or burden of the Warre lay upon the Swizzers. |
† b. A swinging stroke or blow. Sc. Obs.
| 1535 Stewart Cron. Scot. (Rolls) II. 383 This schiphird carle he gaif him sic ane swey [etc.]. |
c. A turn, veer. Sc.
| 1818 Hogg Brownie of Bodsbeck viii. I. 139 Ye ken the wind very often taks a swee away round to the east i' the night time. 1875 W. M{supc}Ilwraith Guide Wigtownsh. 126 The [flat-bottomed] boats were liable to give a sudden swee. |
† 3. Force or pressure bearing or inclining its object in one direction or another. Obs.
| 1565 Peend Hermaphroditus B v b, Such be the..fits which in the blinded brayne Of wanton women often times with swinging swey doth reigne. 1597 Hooker Eccl. Pol. v. xlix. §6 As long as the sway of euill custome ouerbeareth them. 1601 Dent Pathw. Heaven 305 The sway of the world doth weigh downe all things that can be spoken out of the word of God. 1667 Milton P.L. vi. 234 Expert When to advance, or stand, or turn the sway Of Battel. 1757 W. Wilkie Epigon. iii. 52 Push'd and yielding to superior sway,..the Spartan ranks gave way. 1791 J. Learmont Poems 32 Sic is Britain's present state. A sweigh will coup her ony gate. |
† 4. Inclination or bias in a certain direction; occas. deviation from a course of action. Obs. (in later use Sc.).
| a 1586 Sidney Arcadia iii. xxiii. (1912) 490 [He] suffred.. his imaginations to be raised even by the sway, which hearing or seing, might give unto them. 1595 Shakes. John ii. i. 578 This aduantage, this vile drawing byas, This sway of motion. 1596 Bacon Max. Com. Law iii. (1636) 10 This rule doth give them a sway to take the law more certainly one way. a 1601 ? Marston Pasquil & Kath. (1878) i. 188 Their verie wish..had some sway from dutie. 1645 Milton Tetrach. 29 Such a peculiar sway of liking, or disliking in the affairs of matrimony. 1730 T. Boston in Morrison Mem. x. (1899) 316 A plain sway to the other side appearing in that committee. 1820 Hogg Winter Even. T. I. 253 (Jam.) Its your mind that I'm sad for; they'll gie't a wrang swee. |
5. Prevailing, overpowering, or controlling influence.
| a 1510 Douglas King Hart ii. 216 No dar I nocht be no way mak travale, Bot quhair I se my maister get a swey. 1575 Gascoigne Kenelworth Wks. 1910 II. 103 You fishes all, and each thing else, that here have any sway. 1586 A. Day Engl. Secretary i. (1625) 26 My Lord the Duke is here of great sway. 1671 Milton Samson 791 The jealousie of Love, powerful of sway In human hearts. 1705 Addison Italy 31 This renders it very suspicious, that the Interests of Particular..Religious Orders..have too great a Sway in their Canonizations. 1762–71 H. Walpole Vertue's Anecd. Paint. (1786) II. 57 His Countess, who had great sway with him, being notoriously corrupt. 1849 Macaulay Hist. Eng. vii. II. 188 The sovereign of this country, acting in harmony with the legislature, must always have a great sway in the affairs of Christendom. 1879 Dixon Windsor II. ii. 16 The girl had fallen under the sway of nuns and priests. |
6. a. Power of rule or command; sovereign power or authority; dominion, rule.
| 1586 A. Day Engl. Secretary i. (1625) 33 In causes of sway and government. 1616 B. Jonson Epigr. xxxv. 2 A prince that rules by example, more than sway. 1681 Dryden Abs. & Achit. 780 For who can be secure of private Right, If Sovereign Sway may be dissolv'd by Might? 1683 Temple Mem. Wks. 1720 I. 458 There were two ruling Burgomasters of Amsterdam..who had the whole Sway of that Town. 1706 Prior Ode to Queen xxv, France on universal Sway intent. 1836 Thirlwall Greece xvi. II. 372 Her sway was exclusively acknowledged by her Peloponnesian allies. 1872 Yeats Growth Comm. 181 Western India from Ormuz to Ceylon owned the sway of Portugal. 1875 Fortnum Maiolica ii. 14 There were two periods of Mahommedan sway in Spain. |
b. transf. and fig.
| 1597 Shakes. Lover's Compl. 108 That horse his mettell from his rider takes Proud of subiection, noble by the swaie. 1644 Milton Educ. 1 Either by the definite will of God so ruling, or the peculiar sway of nature. 1692 Prior Ode Imit. Hor. iv, The Sun absent, with full sway the Moon Governs the Isles. 1714 R. Fiddes Pract. Disc. ii. 220 The soul..originally govern'd the body with an absolute sway. 1805–6 Cary Dante, Inf. viii. 16 A small bark..under the sole sway Of one that ferried it. 1871 Palgrave Lyr. Poems 136 In the hearts of men is thy sway. |
c. contextually. (a) Means of government. (b) Position of authority or power.
| c 1645 Howell Lett. (1655) IV. xlvii. 111 The Sword is the surest sway over all peeple who ought to be cudgel'd rather then cajoll'd to obedience. 1765 Goldsm. Double Transform. 101 No more presuming on her sway, She learns good⁓nature every day. 1805–6 Cary Dante, Inf. vii. 84 One nation rises into sway, Another languishes. 1825 Scott Talism. xi, He had been raised to the ducal sway in the German empire. |
7. Phr. to bear († a or the) sway, etc. (also † to carry sway): to rule, govern; to hold the (highest) position in authority or power; to exercise influence, carry weight. Also, † to carry the sway of.
| 1550 Crowley Last Trumpet 1309 Let them two [sc. knowledge and fear of the Lord] bear all the swea In thy doinges. 1555 W. Watreman Fardle Facions ii. vi. 151 Nexte vnto the kinges maiestie, the communaltie bare the swaye. 1567 Fenton Trag. Disc. 8 Suche as in many ages before had borne the grettest swaighe in that publike weale. 1570 Walsingham in D. Digges Complete Ambass. (1655) 8 Montmorencie..now carrieth the whole sway of the Court. 1573 G. Harvey Letter-bk. (Camden) 3 Wilfulnes wil beare a suai, if it be not bridelid. 1581 Mulcaster Positions xxxvii. (1887) 150 One prince beareth the sway. 1636 Massinger Gt. Dk. Florence ii. ii, This is the man that carries The sway, and swinge of the Court. 1651 Hobbes Leviath. i. v. 19 As it comes to bear sway in them. 1715 Pope Iliad i. 285 Let revenge no longer bear the sway. 1759 Robertson Hist. Scot. vi. Wks. 1813 I. 459 Huntly and Bothwell, who bore the chief sway in the kingdom. 1779 Mirror No. 66. ¶5 He knows..that, in Lady Anne, vanity bears absolute sway. 1845 M. Pattison Ess. (1889) I. 9 The ages when the Church bore sway over every action of life. |
8. Manner of carrying oneself; carriage, deportment. ?Obs.
| 1753 Hogarth Anal. Beauty iii. 20 The Antinous's easy sway must submit to the stiff and straight figure of the dancing master. 1796 W. H. Marshall Planting II. 40 The Evergreen Bignonia..will form at a distance a grand figure from the sway they bear. 1845 J. Keegan Leg. & Poems (1907) 263 From time out of mind, this parish has been famous for its dances, and our boys and girls always..brought the sway, both for step and figure, and carriage, too. |
9. a. The action of moving backward and forward or from side to side.
| 1846 Holtzapffel Turning II. 917 The sway of the blades of jointed shears is prevented, by allowing the moving arm to pass through a loop or guide which may retain it in position. 1865 A. L. Gordon Vis. Smoke viii. Poems (1912) 85 A sway in the crowd—a murmuring hum! 1912 J. Masefield in Eng. Rev. Oct. 338 The poise [of a ship] At the roll's end, the checking in the sway. |
b. Naut. A rhythmic linear motion of a vessel from side to side (as distinguished from the rotatory motion of a roll).
| 1957 Trans. Inst. Naval Architects XCIX. 121/1 Sway accelerations were actually measured to a good approximation in the form of the displacement of the apparent vertical. 1968 Rawson & Tupper Basic Ship Theory xii. 427 Disturbances in the yaw, surge and sway modes will not lead to such an oscillatory motion..when the ship is in a seaway. 1977 Offshore Engineer May 44/3 During these tests, the data acquisition system recorded waves,..sway and yaw of the lay barge, pull and length of mooring cables, and anchor positions. |
II. Concrete senses.
† 10. ? The pole of a cart. Sc. Obs.
| 1535 Stewart Cron. Scot. (Rolls) III. 561 Fast festnit on ane tre, Out throw the toun tha gart him drawin be, Vpoun ane suey ay swappand vp and doun. |
11. A lever, crowbar. dial.
| 1545 Acc. Ld. High Treas. Scot. VIII. 423 Sweyis, oxin bollis, and other necessaries pertening to the said monitioun. 1547 Ibid. IX. 88 Thair ten cairttis laidint with..extreis, sweyes, sowmes, ȝokes, oxin bowes and other necessarres for the said artalȝere. 1566 Inventories R. Wardr. (1815) 170 Item fyve sweis of tymmer Item certane hand spakkis. 1793 Young's Ann. Agric. XXI. 621 A gentlewoman in the vicinity of Edinburgh..has always been used to Churn..in a plunge Churn, with a swee (a lever applied to the end of the Churn-staff). 1808 Jamieson, Swey, a long crow for raising stones. 1823 Moor Suffolk Words. 1876 Atkinson Cleveland Gloss., Sway, a wooden lever. |
12. A small pliable twig or rod, esp. one used in thatching (see quot. 1949); a switch. dial.
| 1630 Churchw. Acc. St. Peter Mancroft, Norwich in Norf. Antiq. Misc. (1883) II. 341 Item paid Thomas Seamer for swaies or wandes..iij. d. 1787 W. H. Marshall Rural Econ. Norfolk Gloss. (E.D.S.). 1847 Halliwell, Sway..a switch used by thatchers to bind their work... East. 1949 K. S. Woods Rural Crafts of Eng. iv. xiii. 203 The light timbers that support the thatch are ‘flues’ laid upward from eaves to ridge like rather thin rafters; ‘sways’ or long laths are laid horizontally across them at frequent intervals. 1966 Punch 10 Aug. (Advt. following p. 216), Hazel rods or ‘sways’ are used in conjunction with iron hooks to fasten the thatch to the roof timbers. |
13. A flat iron rod suspended in the chimney, on which pots and kettles are hung. Sc. and north.
| 1825 Jamieson. 1870 J. K. Hunter Life Stud. Charac. xli. 257 Willie's lum was one of an old-fashioned wideness, with a rungiltree instead of a swee. |
▪ II. sway, v.
(sweɪ)
Forms: 4 sweȝe, 4–5 swye, 4–6 sweye, 4–7 (8–9 dial.) swey, (6 sweie, swaye, 7–9 sweigh, 8–9 Sc. swee), 6– sway; 3rd sing. 6 swayth, swaieth, sweath; pres. pple. 6 Sc. sweand; pa. tense (strong) 4 sweȝe, swey, swe; pa. tense and pple. 4 sweȝed, sweyed, 4–5 swyed, 5 sweyd, sweyt, 6–7 swaid(e, swayd, swaied, 7 swai'd, sued (?), 7– swayed.
[Properly two distinct words. (1) ME. sweȝe (14th c.), conjugated strong and weak, also swye, to go, move (cf. ME. forsueie to go astray), may have been a native word orig. of the OE. type *sweᵹan, (3 pres. ind. *swiᵹeþ), pa. tense *swæᵹ, parallel to OE. weᵹan to move, carry, weigh, (wiᵹeþ), wæᵹ, ME. weȝe, occas. wye, pa. tense weȝe, wei(ȝ), wei(e)de. (Cf. also the parallelism of swag and wag, sweight and weight.) Formally, sweᵹe might also be ad. ON. sveigja to bend (a bow), swing (a distaff), etc., give way, yield (cf. sveigr switch, twig), causative vb. f. svig-, in svig bend, curve, svigi switch, svigna to give way; but the ME. and ON. verbs do not agree in sense. (2) The modern sway dates only from c 1500, and agrees in form and sense with, and appears to be ad., LG. swâjen to be moved hither and thither by the wind (whence Sw. svaja to swing, Da. svaie to move to and fro, G. schwaien, schweien), Du. zwaaien to swing, wave, walk totteringly, slant, bevel.]
I. † 1. intr. To go, move. Obs.
| 13.. E.E. Allit. P. B. 87 Swyerez þat swyftly swyed on blonkez. Ibid. C. 72 Now sweȝe me þider swyftly & say me þis arende. Ibid. 151 Þe sayl sweyed on þe see. 13.. Gaw. & Gr. Knt. 1429 Al in a semblé sweyed to-geder. ? a 1400 Morte Arth. 57 [He] Sweys in-to Swaldye wiþ his snelle houndes. |
† b. Often with down: To go down, fall (lit. and fig.); spec. to fall or sink into a swoon. Obs.
| 13.. Gaw. & Gr. Knt. 1796 Sykande ho sweȝe doun, & semly hym kyssed. 13.. E.E. Allit. P. B. 956 Þe rayn rueled adoun..Of felle flaunkes of fyr..Swe aboute sodamas. Ibid. C. 429 Þe soun of oure souerayn þen swey in his ere. ? a 1400 Morte Arth. 1467 So many sweys in swoghe swounande att ones! Ibid. 3676 With þe swynge of þe swerde sweys þe mastys. c 1400 Destr. Troy 9454 Parys..Sweyt into swym, as he swelt wold. a 1400–50 Wars Alex. 2057 (Dublin), Þe power owt of perse..Sweyd sleghtly downe slayn of þair blonkes. c 1415 Crowned King 29 Swythe y swyed in a sweem þat y swet after. 1513 Douglas æneis ii. x. 86 Quhar thir towris thou seis doun fall and sweye, And stane fra stane doun bet. 1533 Bellenden Livy iv. xv. (S.T.S.) II. 103 Þe hewmondis of romanis semyt as þai war sweyand doun. |
† c. causative. To cause to go or move; to drive. Obs. rare.
| 13.. E.E. Allit. P. C. 236 Styffe stremes..Þat drof hem dryȝlych adoun þe depe to serue, Tyl a swetter ful swyþe hem sweȝed to bonk. |
II. 2. intr. To move or swing first to one side and then to the other, as a flexible or pivoted object: often amplified by phr., e.g. backwards and forwards, to and fro, from side to side.
Not common before the 19th century.
| c 1500 Bk. Mayd Emlyn 334 in Hazl. E.P.P. IV. 94 An halfepeny halter made hym fast, And therin he swayes. 1555 Eden Decades (Arb.) 120 Yet are they [sc. the branches of the trees] tossed therewith, and swaye sumwhat from syde to syde. 1797 S. & Ht. Lee Canterb. T. (1799) I. 375 The lamp swayed with the blast. 1859 Tennyson Marr. Geraint 171 A purple scarf, at either end whereof There swung an apple of the purest gold, Sway'd round about him as he gallop'd up. 1863 Mrs. Oliphant Salem Chapel x, That stick over which his tall person swayed with fashionable languor. 1874 L. Stephen Hours in Libr. (1892) II. ii. 51 The dreary estuary, where the slow tide sways backwards and forwards. |
b. fig. To vacillate. rare.
| 1563 Winȝet tr. Vincent. Lirin. xv. Wks. (S.T.S.) II. 35 Thai, sweand and swounand betuix thame twa, determinatis nocht quhat wes specialie erast to be chosin be thame. 1825 Jamieson, Swee,..to be irresolute. 1871 B. Taylor Faust (1875) II. i. i. 5 When the crowd sways, unbelieving. |
3. trans. To cause to move backward and forward or from side to side (cf. 2). (See also 13.)
Not common before the 19th century.
| 1555 Eden Decades (Arb.) 152 Swayinge her bodye twyse or thryse too and fro. 1667 Milton P.L. iv. 983 As when a field Of Ceres ripe for harvest waving bends Her bearded Grove of ears, which way the wind Swayes them. 1717 Prior Alma ii. 215 Have you not seen a Baker's Maid Between two equal Panniers sway'd? 1784 Cowper Task vi. 73 The roof,..moveable through all its length As the wind sways it. 1819 Shelley Julian 276 The ooze and wind Rushed through an open casement, and did sway His hair. 1865 Trollope Belton Est. xii. 137 He swayed himself backwards and forwards in his chair, bewailing his own condition. 1902 R. Bagot Donna Diana xv. 178 When the cool breeze sweeps up from the sea, gently swaying the tops of the cypress-trees. |
b. fig.
| a 1586 Sidney Arcadia ii. xxix. (1912) 330 He was swayed withall..as everie winde of passions puffed him. 1592 W. Wyrley Armorie, Ld. Chandos 29 Some turning fate, Which like wild whirlwind all our dooings sweath. 1596 Shakes. Merch. V. iv. i. 51 Affection, Maisters [? = Mistress] of passion, swayes it to the moode Of what it likes or loaths. a 1650 May Old Couple ii. i. (1658) C 2, He has got A great hand over her, and swayes her conscience Which way he list. 1866 G. Macdonald Ann. Q. Neighb. xv. (1878) 307, I was swayed to and fro by the motions of a spiritual power. 1870 Edin. Rev. Oct. 388 Dr. Newman..tells us..with the utmost frankness, the persons who..swayed his beliefs hither and thither. |
4. intr. To bend or move to one side, or downwards, as by excess of weight or pressure; to incline, lean, swerve.
In mod. quots. only a contextual use of 2.
| 1577 Holinshed Chron. II. 1624/1 The left side of the enimies..was..compelled to sway a good way backe, and giue grounde largely. 1593 Shakes. 3 Hen. VI, ii. v. 5. 1610 Boys Wks. (1622) 223 The tree falleth as it groweth..Learne then in growing to sway right. 1624 Bacon Consid. War w. Spain Wks. 1879 I. 542/1 In these personal respects, the balance sways on our part. 1631 Gouge God's Arrows iii. §48. 273 Aaron and Hur..kept his hands that they could not sway aside one way or other. 1670–1 Narborough Jrnl. in Acc. Sev. Late Voy. i. (1694) 166 Could not get the Ship off, for the Water did Ebb, and the Ship Sued above 3 Foot. |
| 1860 Tyndall Glac. i. xxvii. 196 The carriage swayed towards the precipitous road side. 1881 ‘Rita’ My Lady Coquette xv, She sways towards him like a reed. |
† b. transf. To have a certain direction in movement; to move. Obs.
| 1597 Shakes. 2 Hen. IV, iv. i. 24 Let vs sway-on, and face them in the field. 1601 ― Twel. N. ii. iv. 32 So swayes she leuell in her husbands heart. 1605 ― Macb. v. iii. 9 The minde I sway by, and the heart I beare, Shall neuer sagge with doubt, nor shake with feare. 1650 W. D. tr. Comenius' Gate Lat. Unl. §233 Man's estate swaieth (is going downwards) [L. vergit] towards a declining age. |
c. To move against in a hostile manner. rare.
| 1590 Spenser F.Q. ii. viii. 46 How euer may Thy cursed hand so cruelly haue swayd Against that knight. Ibid. x. 49 Yet oft the Briton kings against them [sc. the Romans] strongly swayd. 1603 Knolles Hist. Turks (1621) 195 A man would have thought two rough seas had met together swaying one against the other. 1871 Dixon Tower III. xxvi. 284 The Duke had grown too great to live. All passions swayed against him. |
5. trans. To cause to incline or hang down on one side, as from excess of weight; dial. to weigh or press down; also, to cause to swerve.
| 1570 Buchanan Chamæleon Wks. (S.T.S.) 45 The said Chamæleon..changeing hew as the quene sweyit ye ballance of hir mynd. 1625 Bacon Ess., Simulation (Arb.) 509 To keepe an indifferent carriage, betweene both, and to be Secret, without Swaying the Ballance, on either side. 1663 Charleton Chor. Gigant. 27 As that no force of wind or tempest..by diminishing the gravity on one side, might incline or sway them to sink down on the other. 1664 Power Exp. Philos. ii. 145 The greater weight of water in the pendent Leg [of the Syphon]..sways down that in the shorter, as in a pair of Skales. 1678 Butler Hud. iii. ii. 1368 As Bowls run true, by being made Of purpose false, and to be sway'd. 1797 Holcroft tr. Stolberg's Trav. (ed. 2) II. xliii. 81 The..tower of Pisa..is swayed fifteen feet from the centre. 1846 Holtzapffel Turning II. 848 They have learned to avoid swaying down the file at either extreme. 1856 Kane Arctic Expl. II. xiv. 143 These swayed the dogs from their course. 1857 Whittier Poems, Funeral Tree Sokokis Argt., The surviving Indians ‘swayed’ or bent down a young tree until its roots were upturned. |
| absol. 1624 Bedell Lett. v. 84 A little weight is able to sway much, where the beame it self is false. |
† b. To strain (the back of a horse): see sway-backed, swayed 1. Obs. rare.
| 1611 Cotgr., Esflanquer, to sway in the backe. 1639 T. de Grey Compl. Horsem. 42 He might wrinch any member, or sway his back. |
6. a. To turn aside, divert (thoughts, feelings, etc.); to cause to swerve from a course of action.
| 1596 Shakes. 1 Hen. IV, iii. ii. 130 Heauen forgiue them, that so much haue sway'd Your Majesties good thoughts away from me. 1616 Marlowe's Faustus iv. ii. (1631) F j, Let vs sway [ed. 1624 stay] thy thoughts, From this attempt. 1673 Cave Prim. Chr. ii. vi. 135 No dangers could then sway good men from doing of their duty. 1679 J. Goodman Penit. Pard. i. iii. (1713) 69 An huge advantage may sway him a little aside. 1822 B. W. Proctor Ludovico Sforza ii, No ill has happened..to sway Your promise from me? 1874 Green Short Hist. vi. §6. 335 No touch either of love or hate swayed him from his course. |
† b. To influence in a specified direction; to induce to do something. Obs.
| 1625 Impeachm. Dk. Buckhm. (Camden) 292 To sweigh the people to accept the King's offers. 1634 Sir T. Herbert Trav. 63 He answered, his businesse swayed him to another end. 1667 Milton P.L. viii. 635 Least Passion sway Thy Judgement to do aught, which else free Will Would not admit. 1712 Addison Spect. No. 357 ¶14 The Part of Eve..is no less..apt to sway the Reader in her Favour. a 1720 Sewel Hist. Quakers (1795) II. vii. 83 He so swayed the master that at last he agreed. 1807 Wordsw. White Doe vi. 48 Even that thought, Exciting self-suspicion strong, Swayed the brave man to his wrong. |
† c. To give a bias to. Obs.
| 1593 Bacon Let. to Burghley Apr., I spake simply and only to satisfy my conscience, and not with any advantage, or policy to sway the cause. |
† 7. intr. To incline or be diverted in judgement or opinion; to swerve from a path or line of conduct; to lean (towards a side or party). Obs.
| 1556 J. Heywood Spider & F. xxv. 94 We sweie From the streight lyne of iustice. 1581 Lambarde Eiren. ii. iv. (1588) 166 The common opinion swayeth to the other side. 1594 R. Carew Huarte's Exam. Wits iii. (1596) 24 With which of these opinions the truth swaieth, time serueth not now to discusse. 1599 Shakes. Hen. V, i. i. 73 He seemes indifferent: Or rather swaying more vpon our part, Then cherishing th' exhibiters against vs. 1659 W. Guthrie Chr. Gt. Interest (1724) 80 This imports a Sort of Impropriation: For the Heart, pleasing that Device, in so far swayeth towards it. Ibid., Explic. Sc. Words, To sway or swey towards a Thing, is to bend towards it. |
8. trans. To wield as an emblem of sovereignty or authority; esp. in phr. to sway the sceptre, † sway the sword (also, by extension, † sway the diadem, † sway the rule), to bear rule.
Cf. Du. den schepter zwaaien.
| 1575 Gascoigne Weedes, In Praise of Gentlewoman 5 Golden Marcus he, that swaide the Romaine sword. 1576 ― Steele Gl. (Arb.) 61 You should not trust, lieftenaunts in your rome, And let them sway, the scepter of your charge. 1590 Spenser F.Q. ii. x. 20 Madan was young, vnmeet the rule to sway. 1590 Greene Orl. Fur. Wks. (Rtldg.) 99/1 It fits me not to sway the diadem. 1593 Shakes. 3 Hen. VI, iii. iii. 76 Though Vsurpers sway the rule a while. 1671 Milton P.R. iii. 405 If I mean to raign David's true heir, and his full Scepter sway. 1750 Gray Elegy 47 Hands, that the rod of empire might have sway'd. a 1828 H. Neele Lit. Rem. (1829) 26 Had Charles I. continued to sway the English sceptre. |
b. transf. To wield (an implement or instrument). poet.
| c 1600 Shakes. Sonn. cxxviii, When thou gently sway'st, The wiry concord that mine eare confounds. 1810 Scott Lady of L. ii. vii, This harp, which erst Saint Modan swayed. 1867 Morris Jason vi. 239 Erginous now, Great Neptune's so the brass-bound tiller swayed. |
9. To rule, govern, as a sovereign. Chiefly poet.
| 1595 Shakes. John i. i. 13 To lay aside the sword Which swaies vsurpingly these seuerall titles. Ibid. ii. i. 344 By this hand I sweare That swayes the earth this Climate ouerlookes. 1613 Purchas Pilgrimage vi. viii. 502 The Great Turke swayeth with his Ottoman Scepter..this Kingdome of Tunis, and all Africa, from Bellis de Gomera to the Redde Sea. 1634 Milton Comus 825 A gentle Nymph..That with moist curb sways the smooth Severn stream. 1709 Watts Hymn, ‘The Lord! how fearful is his Name’ vi, Now let the Lord for ever reign, And sway us as he will. 1812 Byron Ch. Har. ii. xlvii, With a bloody hand He sways a nation, turbulent and bold. 1896 A. Austin Eng. Darling i. i, Buhred hath fled the land By him for two-and-twenty winters swayed. |
b. transf. To have the command or control of; to control, direct.
| 1587 Golding De Mornay xxiv. (1592) 366 There must be some pretie speech of Fortune, which swayth the battels. As for God..not one word. 1590 Shakes. Mids. N. i. i. 193 Teach me..with what art You sway the motion of Demetrius hart. Ibid. ii. ii. 115 The will of man is by his reason sway'd. 1665 Boyle Occas. Refl. vi. iii. (1848) 352 Custom has much a larger Empire than men seem to be aware of, since whole Nations are wholly swai'd by it. 1791 Burke Corr. (1844) III. 268, I have been long persuaded, that those in power here, instead of governing their ministers at foreign courts, are entirely swayed by them. 1874 Geo. Eliot Coll. Breakf. P. 412 A sword..With edge so constant-threatening as to sway All greed and lust by terror. |
10. intr. (occas. to sway it.) To rule; to hold sway. Also fig.
| 1565 J. Phillip Patient Grissell Pref. (Malone Soc.) 17 Let Grissills Pacience swaye in you. 1586 A. Day Engl. Secretary i. (1625) 16 Yours while life swaieth within me. 1591 Shakes. 1 Hen. VI, iii. ii. 135 A gentler Heart did neuer sway in Court. 1615 Rowlands Melanch. Knight 23 For shee's a Gentlewoman (though I say it) That doth deserue to domineere and sway it. 1633 Bp. Hall Hard Texts 1 Cor. vi. 3 Those evill and apostate spirits, which doe now sway so much in the world. 1667 Milton P.L. x. 376 There let him still Victor sway, As Battel hath adjudg'd. 1711 in 10th Rep. Hist. MSS. Comm. App. v. 114 A tyrant is he..who swayes for his own onely pleasure. 1725 Pope Odyss. iii. 401 Lawless feasters in thy palace sway. 1853 J. Hunt Spir. Songs, ‘Let all the world rejoice’ ii, He rules by sea and land, O'er boundless realms he sways. 1886 A. T. Pierson Crisis of Missions 117 Turkey..still sways over one million square miles. |
† 11. To have a preponderating weight or influence, prevail. Obs.
This use combines senses 4 and 10.
| 1586 A. Day Engl. Secretary i. (1625) 126 His counsell..swaieth not..in our mindes, so much as it might haue done with many others. 1610 Holland Camden's Brit. (1637) 586 Wee may understand..that gold swaied much yea in Church matters, and among Church-men. 1647 N. Bacon Disc. Govt. Eng. i. lxx. (1739) 187 Nor did the King's Proclamation sway much this or that way. 1710 Lady M. W. Montagu Let. to Mr. W. Montagu 14 Nov., If my opinion could sway, nothing should displease you. 1768 Tucker Lt. Nat. I. i. v. §7. 96 To distinguish what motive actually swayed with him upon every particular occasion. |
12. trans. To cause (a person, his actions, conduct, or thoughts) to be directed one way or another; to have weight or influence with (a person) in his decisions, etc.
| 1593 G. Harvey Pierce's Super. Wks. (Grosart) II. 46 Had not affection otherwhiles swinged their reason, where reason should haue swayed their affection. 1605 B. Jonson Volpone iv. vi, Lady P. You shall sway me. a 1674 Clarendon Surv. Leviath. (1676) 108 Inclinations which sway them as much as other men. 1681 Dryden Abs. & Achit. i. 939 Thus long have I by Native Mercy sway'd, My Wrongs dissembl'd. 1743 Bulkeley & Cummins Voy. S. Seas 31 Believing we can sway most of the Seamen on Shore. 1760–2 Goldsm. Cit. W. lvii, Swayed in their opinions by men who..are incompetent judges. 1818 Scott Br. Lamm. xxxiii, The honour of an ancient family, the urgent advice of my best friends, have been in vain used to sway my resolution. 1852 C. M. Yonge Cameos I. xii. 76 Bribery and every atrocious influence swayed the elections. 1870 Max Müller Sci. Relig. (1873) 292 The authority of their names continues to sway the public at large. 1892 Speaker 3 Sept. 279/1 The jury..was swayed by the customary ethical code in these matters. |
13. To swing (a weapon or implement) about; dial. to swing (something) to and fro, or from one place to another. Also intr. to swing.
| 1590 Spenser F.Q. i. xi. 42 When heauie hammers on the wedge are swaid. Ibid. iii. i. 66 She..Here, there, and every where, about her swayd Her wrathfull steele. 1815 Scott Guy M. xlvi, Meg..lifted him into the vault ‘as easily,’ said he, ‘as I could sway a Kitchen's Atlas’. 1818 S. E. Ferrier Marriage xxxii. (1881) I. 320 Do I look like as if I was capable of hindering boys from sweein' gates? 1822 Hogg Perils of Man iv. I. 60 Bairns, swee that bouking o' claes aff the fire. 1823 Scott Quentin D. xxi, He..caught hold of one of the chains..and..swayed himself out of the water. 1894 P. H. Hunter James Inwick xiv. 170 Ye've been sweein on the yett for a gey while. |
14. Naut. (usually with up). To hoist, raise (esp. a yard or topmast).
| 1743 Bulkeley & Cummins Voy. S. Seas 15 He immediately gave Orders to sway the Fore-yard up. 1768 J. Byron Narr. Patagonia (ed. 2) 15 He was going forward to get the fore⁓yard swayed up. 1835 Marryat Jacob Faithful xi, Forward there, Jacob, and sway up the mast. 1883 Man. Seamanship for Boys 61 A spanker is fitted with an outhaul and brails, the gaff being kept always swayed up in place. |
b. absol.
| 1836 Marryat Midsh. Easy xii, How long will it be, sir, before you are ready to sway away? 1840 R. H. Dana Bef. Mast xvii, We got a whip on the main-yard, and, hooking it to a strap round her body, swayed away. 1867 Smyth Sailor's Word-bk., Sway, or Sway away, to hoist simultaneously; particularly applied to the lower yards and top⁓masts, and topgallant-masts and yards. To sway away on all top-ropes, to go great lengths (colloquially). |
† c. To weigh (anchor). Obs.
| 1772–84 Cook's Voy. (1790) IV. 1405 The gale having subsided they swayed the anchor. |
▪ III. sway
obs. Sc. form of so adv. and conj.