Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “squeamous” come from?

squeamous (English) comes from Middle English sweme, from Old English swima, from Proto-West Germanic swimman, from Proto-Germanic swimmaną, from Proto-Indo-European swem(bʰ)- — to bend, turn, swing; to be unsteady, move, swim.

squeamous (English): squeamish

Definitions

  1. squeamish

Ancestry of “squeamous”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle Englishsweme—
2Old Englishswimaa swoon, swimming in the head
3Proto-West Germanicswimmanto swim
4Proto-Germanicswimmanąto be unsteady; to swim; float
5Proto-Indo-Europeanswem(bʰ)-to bend, turn, swing; to be unsteady, move, swim

Words derived from “squeamous”

  • squeamish
  • squeamishness
  • squeamishly
  • unsqueamish
  • unsqueamishly
  • unsqueamishness
Every word from Proto-Indo-European swem(bʰ)- →