*andaswarjaną
Runic: ᚨᚾᛞᚨᛊᚹᚨᚱᛃᚨᚾᚨ Pronunciation: /ˌɑn.dɑ.ˈswɑr.jɑ.nɑ̃/verb · Weak class 1
Meanings
to answer, reply
Etymology
From *anda- + *swarjaną, whose older sense was probably ‘speak, utter’ rather than specifically ‘swear’. The "answer" nouns Old English andswaru and Old Norse andsvar preserve this broader semantic value (Lühr 2024: s.v. swerien; Seebold 1970: 480–82). The base ultimately continues Proto-Indo-European *swer-, with cognates including Sanskrit स्वरति (svárati) (Lühr 2024: s.v. swerien). Thus, *andaswarjaną meant approximately ‘speak in reply/opposition’ > ‘answer’, not necessarily ‘swear against’. The attested ‘answer’ verbs are weak, and Kroonen (2013: 496) suggests secondary denominative remodeling from the "answer" noun.
Conjugation
Present active
| Person | Indicative | Subjunctive | Imperative |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1st singular | andaswarjō | andaswarjaų | – |
| 2nd singular | andaswarisi | andaswarjais | andaswari |
| 3rd singular | andaswariþi | andaswarjai | andaswarjaþau |
| 1st dual | andaswarjōs | andaswarjaiw | – |
| 2nd dual | andaswarjaþiz | andaswarjaiþiz | andaswarjaþiz |
| 1st plural | andaswarjamaz | andaswarjaim | – |
| 2nd plural | andaswariþ | andaswarjaiþ | andaswariþ |
| 3rd plural | andaswarjanþi | andaswarjain | andaswarjanþau |
Present passive
| Person | Indicative | Subjunctive |
|---|---|---|
| 1st singular | andaswarjai | – |
| 2nd singular | andaswarjasai | andaswarjaisau |
| 3rd singular | andaswarjaþai | andaswarjaiþau |
| 1st dual | – | – |
| 2nd dual | – | – |
| 1st plural | andaswarjanþai | andaswarjainþau |
| 2nd plural | andaswarjanþai | andaswarjainþau |
| 3rd plural | andaswarjanþai | andaswarjainþau |
Past
| Person | Indicative | Subjunctive |
|---|---|---|
| 1st singular | andaswōr | andaswōrį̄ |
| 2nd singular | andaswōrt | andaswōrīz |
| 3rd singular | andaswōr | andaswōrī |
| 1st dual | andaswōrū | andaswōrīw |
| 2nd dual | andaswōrudiz | andaswōrīdiz |
| 1st plural | andaswōrum | andaswōrīm |
| 2nd plural | andaswōrud | andaswōrīd |
| 3rd plural | andaswōrun | andaswōrīn |
Non-finite Forms
| Infinitive | Present Participle | Past Participle |
|---|---|---|
| andaswarjaną | andaswarjandz | andaswuranaz |
Descendants
-
andswerian, andswarian (Old English)
-
andswaren, answeren (Middle English)
- answer (English)
-
andswaren, answeren (Middle English)
- ondswera (Old Frisian)
-
andsvara (Old Norse)
- ansvare (Danish)
- answar (Elfdalian)
- ansvar' (Gutnish)
- andsvara (Icelandic)
- ansvara (Swedish)