Etymology Explorer › Old English

Where does “swæþ” come from?

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

swæþ (Old English): track, trace; footprint; bandage; swathe

Definitions

  1. track, trace; footprint; bandage; swathe

Ancestry of “swæþ”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Proto-Germanicswaþōa wind-swept place; open field; borderland;...
2Proto-Indo-Europeanswem(bʰ)-to bend, turn, swing; to be unsteady, move, swim

Words derived from “swæþ”

  • sward
  • swath
  • greensward
  • swathe
  • swarth
  • swarded
  • soord
  • unswathe
  • swather
  • enswathement
  • enswathe
  • swardy
  • inswathe
  • swarthness
  • swath
  • swathe
  • swarth
Every word from Proto-Indo-European swem(bʰ)- →