svinna

Old Norse

Etymology

(This etymology is missing or incomplete. Please add to it, or discuss it at the Etymology scriptorium.)

Noun

svinna f (genitive svinnu, plural svinnur)

  1. sagacity, good sense

Declension

Swedish

Etymology

Borrowed from German schwinden.

Verb

svinna (present svinner, preterite svann, supine svunnit, imperative svinn)

  1. to cease, to vanish, to disappear, to diminish, to fade
    medan dagen svann för natten, medan natten svann för dagen.
    as the day gave way to the night, as the night gave way for the day.
    Nu synen svann – på öde torg sken månen ner, / Och jag stod ensam kvar men ej som främling mer.
    Now my vision faded – on the lonely square the moon shone down, / And I was left alone but a stranger no more.
    • Shakespeare: Hamlet, act 1, scene 2, Horatio speaking:
      Men tuppen gol i samma ögonblick, Och vid dess gälla ljud han for sin väg Och svann utur vår syn.
      But even then the morning cock crew loud, / And at the sound it shrunk in haste away / And vanished from our sight.

Usage notes

  • Only used in poetic, romantic style. The modern word is försvinna.

Conjugation

Derived terms

References

Anagrams

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