Where does “sweating” come from?
Sweating derives from Middle English sweting, a gerund formation from swete, the past participle of sweten, meaning to make sweet or agreeable.
sweating (English): The production and evaporation of a watery fluid...
Definitions
- The production and evaporation of a watery fluid...
Ancestry of “sweating”, step by step
sweating traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via English sweat
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | sweat | Fluid that exits the body through pores in the... |
| 2 | Middle English | sweten | To make sweet, sweeten; To induce happiness; To... |
| 3 | Old English | swētan | to sweeten |
via Middle English sweting
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Middle English | sweting | — |