Etymology Explorer › English

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

  1. A mixture of solid and liquid food scraps fed to...

Ancestry of “swill”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle Englishswilento wash; swirl; wash away
2Old Englishswillan—
3Proto-West Germanic*swilljan—
4Proto-Germanicswiljanąto gulp, swallow
5Proto-Indo-Europeanswel-to smolder; burn; scorch; beam, board, frame,...

Words derived from “swill”

  • pigswill
  • swiller
Every word from Proto-Indo-European swel- →