Where does “swartness” come from?
swartness (English) comes from Middle English swartnesse, from Old English sweartnes, from Old English sweart, from Proto-West Germanic swart, from Proto-Germanic swartaz, from Proto-Indo-European swordo- — dirty, dark, black.
swartness (English): The quality or state of being swart
Definitions
- The quality or state of being swart
Ancestry of “swartness”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | Middle English | swartnesse | Blackness; the condition of being dark or swarthy |
| 2 | Old English | sweartnes | blackness |
| 3 | Old English | sweart | black |
| 4 | Proto-West Germanic | swart | black |
| 5 | Proto-Germanic | swartaz | black |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | swordo- | dirty, dark, black |