Etymology Explorer › German

Where does “Schwimmen” come from?

Schwimmen (German) comes from Middle High German swimmen, from Old High German swimman, from Proto-West Germanic swimman, from Proto-Germanic swimmaną, from Proto-Indo-European swem(bʰ)- — to bend, turn, swing; to be unsteady, move, swim.

Schwimmen (German): gerund of schwimmen; swim, the act of swimming

Definitions

  1. gerund of schwimmen; swim, the act of swimming

Ancestry of “Schwimmen”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle High Germanswimmento swim
2Old High Germanswimman—
3Proto-West Germanicswimmanto swim
4Proto-Germanicswimmanąto be unsteady; to swim; float
5Proto-Indo-Europeanswem(bʰ)-to bend, turn, swing; to be unsteady, move, swim

Words derived from “Schwimmen”

  • Babyschwimmen
Every word from Proto-Indo-European swem(bʰ)- →