▪ I. † swey, v. Obs.
[OE. swéᵹan to make a noise, sound, move with a noise:—*swōgjan (cf. Goth. gaswōgian, ufswōgjan to sigh), cogn. w. swéᵹ, earlier swoeᵹ sound, noise = ON. sœgr:—*swōgiz, f. swōg-, root of OE. swóᵹan: see sough v.1 The form swey in quot. 13.. is either an abnormal str. pa. tense or repr. OE. swéoᵹ, pa. tense of swóᵹan.]
intr. To sound, make a sound, resound. Hence † ˈsweying vbl. n., noise; ppl. a., resounding.
| c 1000 ælfric in Ags. Hom. (Assmann) 56 Swa þæt heora bodunge sweᵹ sweᵹde ᵹeond eall. c 1000 ― Hom. (Th.) I. 104 Þæs Fæder stemn of heofenum hlude sweᵹde, ðus cweðende. a 1240 Ureisun in O.E. Hom. I. 193 Murie dreameð engles biuoren þin onsene, Pleieð, & sweieð, & singeð bitweonen. 13.. E.E. Allit. P. C. 429 Þe soun of oure souerayn þen swey in his ere. 14.. Langl. P. Pl. Prol. (ed. Wright) 10 As I lay and lenede, And loked on the watres, I slombred into a slepyng, It sweyed [v.rr. swiȝede, swyed, sownede, sweyued] so merrily. a 1400–50 Wars Alex. 5019 With a sweȝand swoȝe þis sware scho him ȝeldis. c 1440 York Myst. xxx. 371 Crye pece in this prese,..Bidde them swage of þer sweying. |
▪ II. swey
see sway n. and v.