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, swíora, Northumb. and late WS. swíra, late WS. swýra, swúra wk. m.:—OTeut. *swerhan-, related to ON. svíri 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 rhyme.]
† 1. The neck. Obs.
α. and β. c. 888. Ælfred, Boeth., xix. § 1. Þæt ʓe underlutan mid eowrum swiran þet deaðlice ʓeoc.
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 ʓeseah, þa dyde he sona þæt hræʓl of his sweoran. Ibid., 241. ʓif eow swa liciʓe 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 diere 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 [rhymes fare, thare, mare].
c. 1450. Holland, Howlat, 171. Swannis suowchand full swyth, swetest of swar [rhymes blythar, war, ar].
c. 1470. Golagros & 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. ʓesweoru 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), 27. 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 hychris 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 = NECK-BONE; † 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 be swappes in sondyre!
