Where does “swill” come from?
Swill comes from Middle English swilen, from Old English swillan, from Proto-Germanic swiljaną, from Proto-Indo-European swel-.
swill (English): A mixture of solid and liquid food scraps fed to...
Definitions
- A mixture of solid and liquid food scraps fed to...
Ancestry of “swill”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | Middle English | swilen | to wash; swirl; wash away |
| 2 | Old English | swillan | to gargle |
| 3 | Proto-West Germanic | *swilljan | — |
| 4 | Proto-Germanic | swiljaną | to gulp, swallow |
| 5 | Proto-Indo-European | swel- | to smolder; burn; scorch; beam, board, frame,... |
Words derived from “swill”