Where does “schwimmfähig” come from?
schwimmfähig (German) comes from German Schwimmen, 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.
schwimmfähig (German): buoyant, floatable
Ancestry of “schwimmfähig”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | German | Schwimmen | gerund of schwimmen; swim, the act of swimming |
| 2 | Middle High German | swimmen | to swim |
| 3 | Old High German | swimman | — |
| 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 |