Etymology

swathe

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Today it means: A bandage; a band. Full definition →

Middle English swathe ← Old English swaþu
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swathe · noun1

  1. Old English · inherited fromswaþu
  2. Middle English · inherited fromswathe
  3. English todayswathe

From Middle English swathe, swath, from Old English swaþu, swæþ (“bandage”), probably akin to Old English swaþul, sweþel (“a swathe, wrap, band, bandage”).

swathe · verb2

  1. Old English · inherited from*swaþian
  2. Middle English · inherited fromswathen
  3. English todayswathe

From Middle English swathen, from Old English *swaþian, akin to Old English besweþian (“to swathe, swaddle”).

swathe · noun3

  1. Proto-Germanic · inherited from*swaþō
  2. Old English · inherited fromswaþu“track, trace”
  3. Middle English · inherited fromswathe
  4. English todayswathe

From Middle English swathe, from Old English swaþu (“track, trace”), from Proto-Germanic *swaþō. More at swath.

Words from the same roots

Old English*swaþian all →

beswathe

Proto-Germanic*swaþō all →

swath

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.