Where does “swim-off” come from?
swim-off (English) comes from English swim, from Middle English swime, from Old English swima, from Proto-West Germanic swimman, from Proto-Germanic swimmaną, from Proto-Indo-European swem(bʰ)- — to bend, turn, swing; to be unsteady, move, swim.
swim-off (English): A special swimming race in which the winner gets to compete in the next level of trials (typically the finals), where the competitors have not qualified for the next level by the usual elimination races
Definitions
- A special swimming race in which the winner gets to compete in the next level of trials (typically the finals), where the competitors have not qualified for the next level by the usual elimination races
Ancestry of “swim-off”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | swim | To move through the water, without touching the... |
| 2 | Middle English | swime | — |
| 3 | Old English | swima | a swoon, swimming in the head |
| 4 | Proto-West Germanic | swimman | to swim |
| 5 | Proto-Germanic | swimmaną | to be unsteady; to swim; float |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | swem(bʰ)- | to bend, turn, swing; to be unsteady, move, swim |