Where does “Schwade” come from?

Schwade (German) comes from Middle Dutch swade, from Proto-Germanic swaþō, from Proto-Indo-European swem(bʰ)- — to bend, turn, swing; to be unsteady, move, swim.

Schwade (German): swath, windrow (row of cut grain or hay; both cut out herbage and the left empty space)

Definitions

  1. swath, windrow (row of cut grain or hay; both cut out herbage and the left empty space)

Ancestry of “Schwade”, step by step

Schwade traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.

via Middle Dutch swade

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle Dutchswade
2Proto-Germanicswaþōa wind-swept place; open field; borderland;...
3Proto-Indo-Europeanswem(bʰ)-to bend, turn, swing; to be unsteady, move, swim

via German Schwaden

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1GermanSchwadenwaft, current (e.g. of cold air), cloud, plume (e.g. of smoke)
Every word from Proto-Indo-European swem(bʰ)-