väsa

Swedish

Etymology

From Old Swedish hvæsa.

Verb

väsa (present väser, preterite väste, supine väst, imperative väs)

  1. to hiss (especially of a snake)
    En orm ringlade fram till mig och väste
    A snake slithered up to me and hissed
  2. to wheeze
    väsande andning
    wheezing ("wheezing / hissing breathing")

Usage notes
  • An "ssss"-like hiss. For more "roar"-like hissing, like from an angry cat, see fräsa.
  • Sounds more sinister as opposed to angry compared to fräsa when used to describe a human voice.
  • Both fräsa and väsa appears to be common for angry swans, perhaps depending on if the sound is perceived as more cat-like or more snake-like.

Conjugation
Conjugation of väsa (weak)
Active Passive
Infinitive väsa väsas
Supine väst västs
Imperative väs —
Imper. plural1 väsen —
Present Past Present Past
Indicative väser väste väss, väses västes
Ind. plural1 väsa väste väsas västes
Subjunctive2 väse väste väses västes
Participles
Present participle väsande
Past participle —
1 Archaic. 2 Dated. See the appendix on Swedish verbs.

References
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