Swithe

Part of speech: adverb

Definitions

1. An archaic adverb meaning very, exceedingly, or with great speed, used in older English writing
2. Old-fashioned term for to a great degree or rapidly, found mainly in medieval and early modern texts
3. A obsolete word expressing intensity or swiftness, once common in English but now seen only in historical writing

Etymology: "Swithe" is an Old English adverb meaning "strongly," "very," or "greatly," and it is the source of the modern word "swithin" in dialect and the older "swith" that appears in medieval texts. Its root is the adjective "swith," meaning "strong" or "powerful," which goes back to Proto-Germanic "swinthiz" with the same sense. The word carries a notion of physical force and intensity, and it survived in northern English dialect long after it fell out of standard use. Its most famous afterlife is in the phrase "swithe" as used by Chaucer and other Middle English writers, where it intensifies adjectives and verbs much as "very" or "most" does today. Because it was an adverb of degree, it often appeared before comparatives and superlatives, so a medieval writer might describe something as "swithe fair" in the way later speakers would say "very fair."