Etymology
1. O.E.
swimman "to move in or on the water, float" (class III strong verb; past tense
swamm, pp.
swummen), from P.Gmc.
*swemjanan (cf. O.S., O.H.G.
swimman, O.N.
svimma, Du.
zwemmen, Ger.
schwimmen), from PIE base
*swem- "to be in motion," sometimes said to be restricted to Gmc., but possible cognates are Welsh
chwyf "motion," O.Ir.
do-sennaim "I hunt," Lith.
sundyti "to chase." For the usual IE word, see natatorium. Sense of "reel or move unsteadily" first recorded 1678; of the head or brain, from 1702.
Swimsuit first recorded 1934;
swimming hole is from 1867;
swimming pool is from 1899. Fig. phrase
sink or swim is attested from c.1440, often with ref. to ordeals of suspected witches.
2. From Middle English swymmen, from Old English swimman (“to swim, float”) (class III strong verb; past tense swamm, past participle geswummen), from Proto-West Germanic *swimman, from Proto-Germanic *swimmaną (“to swim”), from Proto-Indo-European *swem(bʰ)- (“to be unsteady, move, swim”).
3. Cognates
4. Cognate with North Frisian sweem, swome, swume, swumi, swumme, swääm (“to swim”), Saterland Frisian and West Frisian swimme (“to swim”), Dutch zwemmen (“to swim”), German schwimmen (“to swim”), Limburgish schwämme, zwömme (“to swim”), Low German swimmen (“to swim”), Luxembourgish schwammen (“to swim”), Vilamovian švymma, śwyma, śwymma (“to swim”), Yiddish שווימען (shvimen, “to swim”), Danish and Norwegian Bokmål svømme (“to swim”), Faroese svimja (“to swim”), Norn suma (“to swim”), Norwegian Nynorsk svemja, svemje, svømma, svømme, symja, symje (“to swim”), Swedish simma (“to swim”). See: Middle English '
swymmen', Old English '
swimman', Proto-Germanic '
*swimmaną', Dutch '
zwemmen', German, old spelling '
schwimmen', Low Saxon 'swimmen', Luxembourgish '
schwammen', Wymysorys '
švymma', Faroese '
svimja', Norn 'suma', Norwegian, nynorsk '
svemja', Swedish '
simma'.
Verbs referencing "swim"
German, old spelling
schwimmen, Spanish
sondar, Norwegian, nynorsk
symja, German, Pennsylvania
schwimme, Luxembourgish
schwammen, Norwegian, nynorsk
svemja.