Etymology Explorer › Middle English

Where does “swart” come from?

swart (Middle English) comes from Old English sweart, from Proto-West Germanic swart, from Proto-Germanic swartaz, from Proto-Indo-European swordo- — dirty, dark, black.

swart (Middle English): Dark, oppressive, blackened; Black; swart; Evil,...

Definitions

  1. Dark, oppressive, blackened; Black; swart; Evil,...

Ancestry of “swart”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Old Englishsweartblack
2Proto-West Germanicswartblack
3Proto-Germanicswartazblack
4Proto-Indo-Europeanswordo-dirty, dark, black

Words derived from “swart”

  • swarthy
  • swart
  • swarthiness
  • swarthily
  • swartback
  • swarty
  • swarten
  • swartish
  • swartiness
  • swert
  • sweart
  • swartish
  • swerte
  • swart
Every word from Proto-Indo-European swordo- →