Where does “swift” come from?
swift (Middle English) comes from Old English swift, from Old English swīfan, from Proto-West Germanic *swīban, from Proto-Germanic swībaną, from Proto-Indo-European swey-, from Proto-Indo-European sew- — to press out, extract; juice; liquid, rain; to...
Ancestry of “swift”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Old English | swift | swift, quick |
| 2 | Old English | swīfan | to revolve, sweep, wend, intervene; to move,... |
| 3 | Proto-West Germanic | *swīban | to revolve, to move around |
| 4 | Proto-Germanic | swībaną | to revolve; move around; sway; stray; to sweep;... |
| 5 | Proto-Indo-European | swey- | to twist, swing; to hiss; whistle; to swing,... |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | sew- | to press out, extract; juice; liquid, rain; to... |