Definitions

from The Century Dictionary.

  • A Middle English form of so.

from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.

  • adverb obsolete So.

Etymologies

Sorry, no etymologies found.

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Examples

  • Before the intensified form ealswa or allswa became common, theOld English phrase swa lange swa literally “so long so” was used.

    The Grammarphobia Blog » Blog Archive » As long as he needs me 2010

  • Dany Prignon founded Brasserie Fantôme in 1988 with his father in Soy (pronounced "swa"),

    RVABlogs 2009

  • "It would be unfortunate for investors if as a result of burdening a wide swa th of liquidity providers with new obligations, the quality of our markets actually deteriorated during the overwhelming majority of trading days," Securities and Exchange Commissioner Troy A. Paredes said at a conference Friday.

    Keeping Traders in the Market Could Prove Challenging Donna Kardos Yesalavich 2010

  • Mai nawt-sekond thot wehn Ai swa teh pikshur wuz bebbeh LCB!

    Wotz it saing? Sumthin - Lolcats 'n' Funny Pictures of Cats - I Can Has Cheezburger? 2010

  • TheOld English wasswa beorht swa gold literally, “so bright so gold”.

    The Grammarphobia Blog » Blog Archive » As long as he needs me 2010

  • Today, swa lange swawouldbe translated“so long as” or “as long as.”

    The Grammarphobia Blog » Blog Archive » As long as he needs me 2010

  • The onomatopoeia makes it pretty obvious what this sentence says, though another linguistic weirdness is the use of stemn as opposed to stefn, but note the emphasis here (repeated elsewhere in the grammar) that is given to, of all things, trees: gemenged stemn is, ‏ ‏ þe bið butan andgyt, swylc swa is hryðera gehlow and horsa hnægung, hunda gebeorc, treowa brastlung, et cetera ...

    Archive 2007-01-01 Mary Kate Hurley 2007

  • Hu seo þrag gewat, genap under nihthelm, swa heo no wære.

    Last of the Time Lords Mary Kate Hurley 2007

  • Swa swa þa spacan sticiað oðer ende on þære felge oþer on þære nafe, middeweard se spaca bið ægðrum emnneah, ðeah oðer ende bio fæst on þære nafe, oðer on þære felge. swa bioð þa midmestan men onmiddan þam spacan, & þa betran near þære nafe, & þa mætran near ðæm felgum; bioð þeah fæste on ðære nafe, & se nafa on ðære eaxe.

    Archive 2007-02-01 Mary Kate Hurley 2007

  • Hu seo þrag gewat, genap under nihthelm, swa heo no wære.

    Archive 2007-06-01 Mary Kate Hurley 2007

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