Where does “swa” come from?
swa (Dutch) comes from Papiamentu swa, from Dutch zwager, from Middle Dutch swager, from Old Dutch swāgar, from Proto-West Germanic *swāgr, from Proto-Germanic swēgraz, from Proto-Indo-European swēḱurós, from Proto-Indo-European swéḱuros — father-in-law.
swa (Dutch): mate, bud, friend
Ancestry of “swa”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | Papiamentu | swa | friend, pal, comrade; brother-in-law |
| 2 | Dutch | zwager | brother-in-law |
| 3 | Middle Dutch | swager | male in-law |
| 4 | Old Dutch | swāgar | — |
| 5 | Proto-West Germanic | *swāgr | — |
| 6 | Proto-Germanic | swēgraz | a male person that came into a family through... |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | swēḱurós | brother-in-law |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | swéḱuros | father-in-law |