Where does “swerve” come from?
Swerve comes from Middle English swarven, from Old English sweorfan, from Proto-Germanic swerbaną, from Proto-Indo-European swerbʰ-.
swerve (English): To stray; to wander; to rove; To go out of a...
Definitions
- To stray; to wander; to rove; To go out of a...
Ancestry of “swerve”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | Middle English | swerven | To leave (from one's view); to rotate away from |
| 2 | Old English | sweorfan | to scour, polish, file, rub |
| 3 | Proto-Germanic | swerbaną | to rub; wipe; polish; to file |
| 4 | Proto-Indo-European | swerbʰ- | to turn; wipe; sweep |
Words derived from “swerve”