Where does “swathe” come from?

swathe (Middle English) comes from Old English swaþu, from Proto-Germanic swaþō, from Proto-Indo-European swem(bʰ)- — to bend, turn, swing; to be unsteady, move, swim.

swathe (Middle English): A strip or wrap, especially for wrapping babies...

Definitions

  1. A strip or wrap, especially for wrapping babies...

Ancestry of “swathe”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Old Englishswaþutrack; trace; footstep; mark; vestige; scar;...
2Proto-Germanicswaþōa wind-swept place; open field; borderland;...
3Proto-Indo-Europeanswem(bʰ)-to bend, turn, swing; to be unsteady, move, swim

Words derived from “swathe”

Every word from Proto-Indo-European swem(bʰ)- →Every word from Proto-Germanic swaþō →Every word from Old English swaþu →