Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “swarm” come from?

Swarm comes from Old English swearm, from Proto-Germanic swarmaz, from Proto-Indo-European swer-, a root of uncertain meaning.

swarm (English): A large number of insects, especially when in...

Definitions

  1. A large number of insects, especially when in...

Ancestry of “swarm”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle EnglishswarmA swarm; A large group of people
2Old Englishswearmswarm
3Proto-Germanicswarmazswarm; dizziness
4Proto-Indo-Europeanswēr-heavy

Words derived from “swarm”

  • aswarm
  • swarmer
  • subswarm
  • swarmy
  • overswarm
  • swarmeth
  • beeswarm
  • afterswarm
  • swarmspore
  • swarminess
  • upswarm
  • multiswarm
  • svarmi
  • svarmo
  • svarma
  • abelsvarmo
  • fiŝsvarmo
Every word from Proto-Indo-European swēr- →