Swedish

Verb

svinna

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 for 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.

Conjugation

Usage notes

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

References

• svinna in Svenska Akademiens Ordlista över svenska språket (13th ed., online)
• svinna in Svenska Akademiens ordbok online.