† sweve, v. Obs.
(Also 3 pa. pple. iswaued.)
[Three OE. verbs coalesced under this form: (1) swefan (pa. tense swæf, swǽfon) str. intr. to sleep; (2) (ᵹe)swebban (pa. tense -swefede, pa. pple. swefed) wk. trans. to put to sleep or to death (cf. sweb), corresponding to OS. an-sweƀian, OHG. int-swebben (MHG. ent-sweben), ON. svefja:—*swafjan; (3) ᵹeswefian (pa. tense ᵹeswefode, pa. pple. ᵹeswefod) to put to sleep; f. swef-: swaf-: swuf- (cf. ON. sofa, svaf, svofinn to sleep and s{obar}fa to put to death): see sweven.]
I. 1. intr. To sleep, sink to rest, become quiet.
| Beowulf 119 (Gr.) Fand þa ðær inne æþelinga ᵹedriht swefan æfter symble. a 1000 Cædmon's Exod. 36 (Gr.) Swæfon seledreamas. c 1205 Lay. 25548 Wederen alre selest, and þa sæ sweuede. |
II. 2. trans. To put to sleep (or to death), lull to rest; also, to stupefy.
| Beowulf 679 (Gr.) Ic hine sweorde swebban nelle. c 725 Corpus Gloss. (Hessels) S 399 Sopio, suebbo. a 950 Guthlac vi. (1909) 136 Þa wæs he sæmninga mid leohte slæpe swefed. c 1000 ælfric Hom. II. 474 Se apostol Matheus þa dracan ᵹeswefode. a 1175 Cott. Hom. 233 He blisseð hus mid dȝeies [sic] licht, he sweueð hus mid þiestre nicht. c 1205 Lay. 3073 Mid þære wræððe he wes isweued [later text igremid] þat he feol iswowen. Ibid. 15706 Þenne ich wæs on bedde iswaued. |