Swífan

p. swáf, pl. swifon; pp. swifen. I. to move in a course, wend, sweep :-- Hond hwyrfeþ geneahhe swíféþ mé geond sweartne the hand passes over me (a skin), Exon. Th. 394, 4 ; Rä. 13, 13. On ðære ilcan eaxe hwerfeþ rodor, recene scríþeþ, súðheald swíféþ swift (sweeps swift), Met. 28, 17. Mqnnum þyncþ ðæt sió sunne on mere gange, under sǽ swífe, ðonne hió on setl glídeþ, 39. Sceal on ánum fét searo-ceáp (a ship) swífan, swíþe féran, faran ofer feldas, Exon. Th. 415, 6; Rä. 33, 7. [Here are added examples of á-swífan omitted in their place :-- Asuáb exorbitans, Wrt. Voc. ii. 107, 74. Áswífende exorbitans, exorbitantes, 31, 19, 31: 83, 7: 86, 10: exorbitantes, i. circuientes, declinantes, 145, 80.] II. of a course of action, to come to take part in a matter :-- Ðá swáf Eánulf on wæs geréfa ðá genom eal ðæt yrfe him on ðæt hé áhte tó Tyssebyrig then (after the commission of a crime) Eanulf, who was reeve, struck in or intervened, and took all the property from him (the criminal) that he owned at Tisbury, Chart. Th. 172, 31. [O. Frs. swíva to be uncertain: Icel. svífa rove, tarn, sweep. Cf. O. H. Ger. sweibón ferri, volvere, incitari. Gothic has the verb sweiban; p. swaif (Lk. 7, 45) with the meaning to cease, leave off.]