Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “swathe” come from?

Swathe comes from Middle English swathen, from Old English swæþ, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European swem(bʰ)-, a root meaning to sweep or move.

swathe (English): A bandage; a band; To bind with a swathe, band,...

Definitions

  1. A bandage; a band; To bind with a swathe, band,...

Ancestry of “swathe”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle EnglishswatheA strip or wrap, especially for wrapping babies...
2Old Englishswaþutrack; trace; footstep; mark; vestige; scar;...
3Proto-Germanicswaþōa wind-swept place; open field; borderland;...
4Proto-Indo-Europeanswem(bʰ)-to bend, turn, swing; to be unsteady, move, swim

Words derived from “swathe”

  • unswathe
  • enswathement
  • enswathe
  • inswathe
Every word from Proto-Indo-European swem(bʰ)- →