Etymology Explorer › Middle English

Where does “swam” come from?

swam (Middle English) comes from Old English swamm, from Proto-Germanic *swammaz, from Proto-Indo-European swombh- — sponge, tree-fungus, swamp.

swam (Middle English): swamp, muddy pool, bog, marsh", also "fungus,...

Definitions

  1. swamp, muddy pool, bog, marsh", also "fungus,...

Ancestry of “swam”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Old Englishswammmushroom, fungus; sponge; first/third-person...
2Proto-Germanic*swammaz—
3Proto-Indo-Europeanswombh-sponge, tree-fungus, swamp

Words derived from “swam”

  • swamp
  • swampy
  • swampland
  • swamper
  • backswamp
  • swampiness
  • swamplike
  • swampish
  • swamphen
  • swampless
  • swamplife
  • swampily
  • zwamp
Every word from Proto-Indo-European swombh- →