Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “swart” come from?

Swart comes from Old English sweart, from Proto-Germanic swartaz, from Proto-Indo-European swer- with the suffix -eh₂, originally meaning dark or black.

swart (English): Of a dark hue; moderately black; swarthy; tawny;...

Definitions

  1. Of a dark hue; moderately black; swarthy; tawny;...

Ancestry of “swart”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle EnglishswartDark, oppressive, blackened; Black; swart; Evil,...
2Old Englishsweartblack
3Proto-West Germanicswartblack
4Proto-Germanicswartazblack
5Proto-Indo-Europeanswordo-dirty, dark, black

Words derived from “swart”

  • swarthy
  • swarthiness
  • swarthily
  • swartback
  • swarten
  • swarty
  • swartiness
Every word from Proto-Indo-European swordo- →