swith

S1W4I1T1H4
/ˈswɪθ/

adjective

Strong; vehement.

OriginMiddle English swith ← Old English swīþ ← Proto-West Germanic *swinþ →
UncommonScrabble 11
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Meanings

swith1

adjectiveswith (comparative swither, superlative swithest)

comparative swither · superlative swithest

  1. dialectalobsoleteStrong; vehement.

swith2

adverbswith (comparative swither, superlative swithest)

comparative swither · superlative swithest · alternative swithe

  1. dialectalobsoleteQuickly, speedily, promptly.

    As ye disown yon paughty dog, / That bears the keys of Peter, / Then swith! an' get a wife to hug,

    1786, Robert Burns, A Dream
    1 more example

    “Body of us, man!” said the king, “it is the speech of a true man and a loving subject, and we will grace him accordingly—what though he be but a carle—a twopenny cat may look at a king. Swith, man! have him—pundite fores.

    1822 May 29, [Walter Scott], chapter XXXVII, in The Fortunes of Nigel. […], volume (please specify |volume=I to III) (in English), Edinburgh: […] [James Ballantyne and Co.] for Archibald Constable and Co.; London: Hurst, Robinson, and Co., →OCLC
  2. dialectalobsoleteStrongly; vehemently; very.

Synonyms & antonyms

Also see
strongswiftvehementvery

Origin

swith · adjective

  1. Proto-Germanic*swinþaz“strong”
  2. Proto-West Germanic*swinþ
  3. Old Englishswīþ“strong, mighty, powerful, active, severe, violent”
  4. Middle Englishswith
  5. Englishswith

From Middle English swith, from Old English swīþ (“strong, mighty, powerful, active, severe, violent”), from Proto-West Germanic *swinþ, from Proto-Germanic *swinþaz (“strong”). Cognate with Old Saxon swīth, Middle High German swind (Modern German geschwind (“fast, quick, swift”)), Middle Low German swîde (Modern Low German swied (“very, quite”)), Dutch gezwind (“fast, quick, swift”), West Frisian swiid (“impressive, special”), Old Norse svinnr, sviðr (“quick, clever, understanding, wise”), Gothic 𐍃𐍅𐌹𐌽𐌸𐍃 (swinþs, “strong”). Possibly related to sound.

More words from Middle English, Old English, Proto-West Germanic

Full word history & related roots →

swith · adverb

  1. Proto-Indo-European*swento-“active, healthy”
  2. Proto-Germanic*swinþê“strongly”
  3. Proto-West Germanic*swinþā
  4. Old Englishswīþe“very much, exceedingly, severely, violently, fiercely”
  5. Middle Englishswith
  6. Englishswith

From Middle English swith, swithe, from Old English swīþe (“very much, exceedingly, severely, violently, fiercely”), from Proto-West Germanic *swinþā, from Proto-Germanic *swinþê (“strongly”), from Proto-Indo-European *swento- (“active, healthy”). Cognate with Saterland Frisian swied (“very”), West Frisian swiid (“very”), Dutch zwijd (“very, extremely”), Low German swied (“quite, very”), Dutch gezwind (“quick, swift”). Not related to superficially similar English swift.

More words from Middle English, Old English, Proto-West Germanic

Full word history & related roots →

Rhymes & wordplay

Rhymes with swith

withsmithwidthfifthmythsithithforthwiththerewithfrithSmythelithpithoutwithkithwitheNeithbara brithcrithgithgrith
All rhymes →

Anagrams

whistwisht
Cite this entry
APA

swith. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/swith

MLA

“swith.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/swith. Accessed November 2, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “swith,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/swith.

Source: swith on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.