Where does “swab” come from?

Swab comes from Middle English swabber, from Middle Dutch zwabber, originally meaning one who wipes or swabs.

swab (English): A small piece of soft, absorbent material, such...

Definitions

  1. A small piece of soft, absorbent material, such...

Ancestry of “swab”, step by step

swab traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.

via Proto-Germanic swēbaz

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Proto-Germanicswēbazsomeone of the Suebi
2Indo-European*swé—

via Middle English swabber

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle Englishswabbersailor detailed to swab decks
2Middle Dutchzwabber—

Words derived from “swab”

Every word from Indo-European *swé →Every word from Proto-Germanic swēbaz →