Where does “swem” come from?

swem (Afrikaans) comes from Dutch zwemmen, from Middle Dutch swemmen, from Old Dutch swimman, from Proto-Germanic swimmaną, from Proto-Indo-European swem(bʰ)- — to bend, turn, swing; to be unsteady, move, swim.

swem (Afrikaans): to swim

Definitions

  1. to swim

Ancestry of “swem”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Dutchzwemmento swim
2Middle Dutchswemmento swim; to float; to overflow, to have in...
3Old Dutchswimmanto swim
4Proto-Germanicswimmanąto be unsteady; to swim; float
5Proto-Indo-Europeanswem(bʰ)-to bend, turn, swing; to be unsteady, move, swim

Words derived from “swem”

Every word from Proto-Indo-European swem(bʰ)- →Every word from Proto-Germanic swimmaną →Every word from Old Dutch swimman →
swem — Etymology, Origin & Word History | Etymology Explorer