a. Sc. and north. dial. Forms: 1 swær (suuer, swer), swære, 3 Ormin sware, 3–7 swere, 4 suer, 4–5 suere, 4–6 swer, 6 sweyr, 6–7 sueir, 6–9 sweir, 7 sweare, 7, 9 swear, 8– sweer. [Com. Teut. adj. (= heavy, grievous, grave):—OE. swǽr, swǽre, also swár, = OFris. swêre (WFris. swier, E. and NFris. swâr, only fig.), OS. swâr, MLG. swêr and swâr, MDu. swær and swâre (Du. zwaar), OHG. suâri and suâr (MHG. swære, swær, and swâr, G. schwer), ON. svárr (Sw. svår; Da. svær from LG.), Goth. svêrs only in sense ‘honored, worthy’:—OTeut. *swǣrja- and *swǣra- (cf. Lith. sveriù to lift, weigh, svarùs heavy).
Ormin’s form sware is from ON. The physical meaning ‘heavy’ did not survive the OE. period.]
† 1. Grievous, oppressive. Obs.
a. 900. Cynewulf, Crist, 1412 (Gr.). Þær þu þolades siþþan … sar & swar ʓewin & sweartne deað.
a. 1000. Cædmon’s Gen. 472 (Gr.). Swa him æfter þy yldo ne derede ne suht sware.
c. 1200. Ormin, 16280. Forr hefiȝ & forr sware unngriþþ Þatt hæþenn follc þær wrohhte.
a. 1225. Juliana, 46. Ne sel me neuer naþing swa luðere ne swa swere.
† 2. Oppressed in mind, grieved, sad. Obs.
c. 1000. Ags. Ps. (Th.), ci. 4 [cii. 5]. Forðon me is swære stefne, hefiʓ, gnorniende.
c. 1375. Sc. Leg. Saints, vi. (Thomas), 480. Þat lichtis þe hart & makis It clere, Þat Ignorance be-fore mad swere.
3. Disinclined for effort, inactive; indolent, slothful.
c. 725. Corpus Gloss. (Hessels), D 26. Desis, suuer.
c. 950. Lindisf. Gosp., Matt. xxv. 26. Serue male et piger, ðeʓn ðe yfle & swer.
c. 1375. Sc. Leg. Saints, vii. (Jacobus Min.) 12. I tak na tym to tel It here, For I ame ald & sumdele swere.
a. 1500. Wisd. Solomon, 549, in Ratis Raving, etc., 17. He sais, þat the full suere man plettis his handis one his brest.
1500–20. Dunbar, Poems, xxvi. 70. Mony sweir bumbard belly huddroun.
1513. Douglas, Æneis, III. viii. 15. Nocht sweir, bot in his deidis diligent.
1596. Dalrymple, trans. Leslie’s Hist. Scot., I. 286. Ydle, sueir, and sleuthfull.
1609. Skene, Reg. Maj., Stat. Alex. II., 14. The swere and slowfull man will not plowe.
1668. R. B., Adagia Scot., 3. An oleit [= active] Mother makes a sweir Daughter.
1865. G. Macdonald, A. Forbes, iv. It’s a sweer (lazy) thochtless way to gang to the Almichty wi’ ilka fash.
4. Loth, reluctant, unwilling, disinclined (to do something).
a. 1300. Cursor M., 28284. Ic ha ben bath reckeles and suere To helpe nedy in þair mistere.
c. 1375. Sc. Leg. Saints, vi. (Thomas), 685. Þocht to treu he wes swere, Quhen he can goddis wordis here.
a. 1510. Douglas, K. Hart, II. 24. In fayth ȝe cum nocht heir; Rin on thy way, or thow sall beir ane route: And say, the portar he is wonder sweir.
1560. in Maitl. Club Misc., III. 217. We haif our lang abstractit ourselfis and beyne sweir in adjwning ws to Christes Congregatioun.
1724. Ramsay, Tea-t. Misc. (1733), I. 26. But O I’m wae And unko sweer to die.
1816. Scott, Antiq., xv. ‘Very right, my little man,’ said Ochiltree, turning the reluctant pony’s head towards Monkbarns, ‘but we’ll guide him atween us, if he’s no a’ the sweerer.
1896. Barrie, Marg. Ogilvy, vi. (1897), 107. I’m sweer to waken him—I doubt he was working late—oh, that weary writing.
