Where does “formal swap” come from?

formal swap (English) comes from English formal, from Middle English formel, from Old French formel, from Latin formālis, from French -ïsme, from Latin -isma, from Latin -ismus, from Ancient Greek -ισμός — Creates action/result nouns from verb stems.

formal swap (English): A social meal between two university societies (a swap) held at a formal hall; generally less associated with drinking games and rowdy behaviour

Definitions

  1. A social meal between two university societies (a swap) held at a formal hall; generally less associated with drinking games and rowdy behaviour

Ancestry of “formal swap”, step by step

formal swap traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.

via English formal

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishformalBeing in accord with established forms; Official;...
2Middle Englishformel
3Old Frenchformel
4Latinformālisformal
5French-ïsme-ism, variant of -isme following vowels
6Latin-ismaAlternative form of -ismus; -ism
7Latin-ismus-ism
8Ancient Greek-ισμόςForms abstract nouns
9Ancient Greek-μόςForms abstract nouns
10Proto-Indo-European-mósCreates action/result nouns from verb stems

via English swap

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishswapTo exchange or give in an exchange; To hit, to...
2Middle Englishswap
3Middle Englishswappea blow, strike, lash from a whip
Every word from Proto-Indo-European -mós
formal swap — Etymology, Origin & Word History | Etymology Explorer