Etymology Explorer › Old English

Where does “sword” come from?

sword (Old English) comes from Old English sweord, from Proto-Germanic swerdą, from Proto-Indo-European swēr- — heavy.

sword (Old English): Alternative form of sweord

Definitions

  1. Alternative form of sweord

Ancestry of “sword”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Old Englishsweorda sword
2Proto-Germanicswerdąsword
3Proto-Indo-Europeanswēr-heavy

Words derived from “sword”

  • sword
  • swords
  • swordsman
  • broadsword
  • swordsmanship
  • swordplay
  • longsword
  • sworded
  • swordless
  • swordlike
  • swordfight
  • shortsword
  • greatsword
  • swordsmith
  • backsword
  • swordpoint
  • swordbelt
  • swordstick
  • swordmaster
  • swordbearer
  • swordtail
  • sworder
  • swordswoman
  • silversword
Every word from Proto-Indo-European swēr- →