Etymology Explorer › Old High German

Where does “swarm” come from?

swarm (Old High German) comes from Proto-Germanic swarmaz, from Proto-Indo-European swēr- — heavy.

swarm (Old High German): swarm of bees

Definitions

  1. swarm of bees

Ancestry of “swarm”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Proto-Germanicswarmazswarm; dizziness
2Proto-Indo-Europeanswēr-heavy

Words derived from “swarm”

  • schwärmerisch
  • ausschwärmen
  • schwärmen
  • Schwärmerin
  • Schwärmer
  • Schwarm
  • Fischschwarm
  • swermen
  • swermen
  • Schwaarm
Every word from Proto-Indo-European swēr- →