bi-swairban

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(sverf; svarf, surfum; sorfinn), v. to file (svarf hann með snarpri þél); láta s. til stáls, see stál; sverfr at, it presses hard.

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sverf; pret. svarf, pl. surfu: part. sorfinn; [Ulf. af-swairban = ἐξαλείφειν, ἐκμάσσειν; Engl. swerve; Dutch swerven; Swed. swerfva]:—to file; járn sorfit, Stj. 160; sverfr hann, 158; svarf hann með snarpri þél, Bs. i. 237; sverfa til stáls, to ‘file to the steel’ to the core, i. e. to fight it out to the last; kvað þá verða at s. til stáls með þeim, Fms. vii. 244; láta þá til stáls sverva með þeim, Ó. H. 41; ok láta s. til stáls með ykkr bræðrum, Fb. ii. 122, Orkn. 234, 428: sverfr at, it presses hard; er í kreppingar kemr ok at sverfr, Fms. iv. 147.

Grammatical information: v.

Meaning: `to draw, to trail, to drag, to pull, to ravish, to sweep'(IA.).

Other forms: Aor. σῦραι, pass. σῠρῆναι (late), fut. συρῶ (LXX), perf. σέσυρμαι, - κα (hell. a. late).

Compounds: Very often w. prefix in diff. shades of meaning, e.g. δια- (also `to hackle, to mock'), ἐπι- (also `to be, treat neglectful etc.'), κατα-, παρα-. As 1. member in σύργαστρος (s.v.)?

Derivatives: 1. σύρμα ( ἀπό-, ἐπί-, παρά-, περί-) n. `train-dress, sweepings, dragging movement' (Ion., X., hell. a. late) with συρμα-τῖτις κόπρος `manure-heap consisting of sweepings' (Thphr.; Redard 109), - τικη φωνή `drawn-out accent' (VII<sup>p</sup>), - τὶς στρατιά ἡ τὰ συμψήγματα καὶ φρύγανα σύρουσα καὶ συλλέγουσα H. 2. συρμός ( ἐπι-, περι-, ὑπο-) m. `grinding, dragging, pulling movement' (of a wind, a gulf, a meteor, a snake a.o.; Arist. etc), `the vomiting' (Nic.); δια- σύρω `the pulling apart, to bemock' (hell. a. late); from this συρ-μάδες f. pl. `snowdrifts' (late), - μαία, Ion. - μαίη f. `vomitive, radish' (Ion., Ar. etc.), also name of a Lacon. priestrank (inscr., H.), with - μαΐζω `to take a vomitive', -μαϊσμός m. (Hdt., medic.), - μίον λάχανόν τι σελίνῳ ἐοικός H., - μιστήρ ξυλο-πώλης H. 3. συρμή f. `trailing tail of a snake' (sch.). -- 4. σύρ-της m. `towing-rope' (Man., H.), - τῶν gen. pl. (nom. sg. - της or - τός) name of a dance (Akraiphia I<sup>p</sup>), διασύρ-της m. `slanderer' (Ptol.), δια-, ἐκ-συρτικός (hell. a. late). 5. ἀνασυρτ-όλις f. `lewd woman' (Hippon.; cf. οἰφόλις and Chantraine Form. 237 f.). 6. Prob. also Σύρτις f. name of a sea-gulf on the northcoast of Africa with sandy shores and dangerous breakers (Hdt. etc.) as "the pulling one" (cf. v. Wilamowitz on Tim. Pers. 99); metaph. `destruction' (Tim. Pers. 99, H.). 7. σύρσις f. ( διά- σύρω) `the drawing of a plough' (late). -- With φ -enlargement: 8. σύρφη φρύγανα H. 9. συρφ-ετός m. `sweepings, filth' (Hes., Call., Plu. a.o.), `rabble' (Pl. a.o.) with - ετώδης `vulgar' (Plb., Luc. a.o.); cf. νιφετός a.o. (Chantraine Form. 300, Schwyzer 501). 10. -ᾱξ m. `rabble' (Ar. V. 673 [anap.], Luc.), popular-hypocoristic formation. -- On σύρφος s. σέρφος. Cf. ἀσυρής.

Origin: PG [a word of Pre-Greek origin]X [probably]

Etymology: Prob. to σαίρω `sweep' (s. v. w. lit.), but without certain cognates outside Greek. With σύρφ-η, - ετός, - αξ one compares a Germ. word for `sweep, turn (sweep turning), wipe off' in Goth. af-, bi-swairban ' εξαλεῖψαι, ἐκμάξαι', OHG swerban `drive quickly to and fro, whirl, wipe off' etc., to which also Celt., e.g. Welsh chwerfu `whirl, turn around' (Persson Stud. 55, WP. 2, 529f., Pok. 1050f. w. lit.). The semant. certainly possible connection presents the same phonetic problem as σέλας, σῦς etc. (s. vv.). In auslaut agrees σύρφη, prob. not accidentally, to the synonymous κάρφη; so formally influenced by it? An old variation bh: m in σύρ-φη: συρ-μός (Specht Ursprung 269) does not help; but it would show Pre-Greek origin -- The connection with σαίρω, both from *tu̯r̥- is hardly convincing.

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