𐍃𐍅𐌰

Forms

𐍃𐍅𐌰 (swa), an indeclinable adverb.^[1][2][3] The Wulfila project records only the form 𐍃𐍅𐌰 (swa).^[1] Köbler also lists the spelling 𐌾𐌰𐍃𐍃𐍅𐌰 (jas-swa) at 1 Timothy 3:10 in manuscript A.^[4]

Etymology

It is inherited from Proto-Germanic *swa (“so, thus”),^[5][4] cognate with Old Norse svá, Old English swā and Old Frisian sā; Old Saxon sō and Old High German sō have a different vowel, from *swō.^[6] The further origin is uncertain: the Proto-Germanic word is often derived from Proto-Indo-European *swé, while Dunkel reconstructs a Proto-Indo-European *swa (“thus, like”).^[5] Lehmann bases it on *swe- (“separate, apart”), comparing Ancient Greek ὥς (hṓs, “as, like”) and Latin suād (“thus”).^[7] Feist, after Brugmann, derives it from *swod and compares Avestan hvat (“as, like”);^[6] Lehmann considers this less likely.^[6][7]

Attestation

The Wulfila project counts 126 tokens, in all four Gospels, in the Pauline epistles from Romans to 2 Timothy, once in Nehemiah and nine times in the Skeireins; by manuscript, 49 are in CA, 42 in A, 23 in B, 9 in E, 2 in Car and 1 in D.^[1] Köbler gives his count as 117=115.^[4] In canonical order the first is Matthew 5:16 in CA.^[1] PROIEL aligns 66 of its 102 adverb tokens with Ancient Greek οὕτως (hoútōs) and one each with καθώς (kathṓs) and καί (kaí).^[8] Köbler adds ὡσαύτως (hōsaútōs) for jah swa, τοσαῦτα (tosaûta) for swa filu and τοσοῦτοι (tosoûtoi) for swa managai.^[4] Matthew 5:16 begins swa liuhtjai liuhaþ izwar in andwairþja manne, "so let your light shine before men".^[9]

Meanings

1. so, thus, in this way (for οὕτως)^[2][10][8]
2. so, to such an extent, before an adjective^[11][10]
3. in correlation with 𐍃𐍅𐌴 (swē): so … as, as … so^[12][13]
4. swa jah, jah swa: so also, likewise^[14][12]

Word family

• 𐍃𐍅𐌰𐌷 (swah, “so, thus”)
• 𐍃𐍅𐌰𐌴𐌹 (swaei, “so that, therefore”)
• 𐍃𐍅𐌰𐌻𐌰𐌿𐌸𐍃 (swalauþs, “so great”)
• 𐍃𐍅𐌰𐌻𐌴𐌹𐌺𐍃 (swaleiks, “such”)
• 𐍃𐍅𐌰𐍃𐍅𐌴 (swaswē, “as”)

Related words

• 𐍃𐍅𐌴 (swē, “like, as”)

References

1. ^ a b c d De Herdt, Tom (2004–2026), Project Wulfila: digital edition of the Gothic Bible with lemma and morphological annotation, data release 2026-09-03, wulfila.be
2. ^ a b Streitberg, Wilhelm (1910), Die gotische Bibel, II: Gotisch-griechisch-deutsches Wörterbuch, Heidelberg: Winter, p. s.v. swa
3. ^ Braune, Wilhelm; Heidermanns, Frank (2004), Gotische Grammatik, mit Lesestücken und Wörterverzeichnis, 20th ed., Sammlung kurzer Grammatiken germanischer Dialekte A 1, Tübingen: Niemeyer, p. 296
4. ^ a b c d Köbler, Gerhard (2014), Gotisches Wörterbuch, 4th ed., online, koeblergerhard.de/wikiling, p. s.v. swa
5. ^ a b Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org, p. s.v. 𐍃𐍅𐌰
6. ^ a b c Feist, Sigmund (1939), Vergleichendes Wörterbuch der gotischen Sprache, 3rd ed., Leiden: Brill, p. s.v. swa
7. ^ a b Lehmann, Winfred P. (1986), A Gothic Etymological Dictionary, based on the third edition of Vergleichendes Wörterbuch der gotischen Sprache by Sigmund Feist, Leiden: Brill, p. s.v. swa
8. ^ a b Haug, Dag T. T. et al., PROIEL Treebank: The Gothic Bible (gothic-nt), 2023 release, Pragmatic Resources in Old Indo-European Languages, University of Oslo
9. ^ De Herdt, Tom (2004–2026), Project Wulfila: digital edition of the Gothic Bible with lemma and morphological annotation, data release 2026-09-03, wulfila.be, p. Mt 5:16
10. ^ a b Regan, Brian T. (1974), Dictionary of the Biblical Gothic Language, Phoenix: Wulfila House, p. 145
11. ^ Lambdin, Thomas O. (2006), An Introduction to the Gothic Language, Eugene, Or.: Wipf and Stock, p. 66
12. ^ a b Stamm, Friedrich Ludwig; Heyne, Moriz (1920), Ulfilas oder die uns erhaltenen Denkmäler der gotischen Sprache: Text, Wörterbuch und Grammatik, 13th–14th ed. by Ferdinand Wrede, Paderborn: Schöningh, p. 469
13. ^ Balg, G. H. (1887–1889), A Comparative Glossary of the Gothic Language, with Especial Reference to English and German, Mayville, Wis.: the author, p. 410
14. ^ Skeat, Walter W. (1868), A Moeso-Gothic Glossary, with an Introduction, an Outline of Moeso-Gothic Grammar, and a List of Anglo-Saxon and Old and Modern English Words Etymologically Connected with Moeso-Gothic, London: Asher, p. 214