Where does “swam” come from?

swam (Old Frisian) comes from Proto-Germanic swammaz, from Proto-Indo-European swombʰ- — sponge, tree-fungus, swamp; sponge; tree-fungus;...

Ancestry of “swam”, step by step

swam traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.

via Proto-Germanic swammaz

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Proto-Germanicswammazsponge; fungus, mushroom; swamp
2Proto-Indo-Europeanswombʰ-sponge, tree-fungus, swamp; sponge; tree-fungus;...

via Proto-Germanic swambaz

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Proto-GermanicswambazAlternative form of *swammaz
Every word from Proto-Indo-European swombʰ-Every word from Proto-Germanic swammaz
swam — Etymology, Origin & Word History | Etymology Explorer