sweam

The story

1. Proto-Indo-European · derived from*sweh₁-“to sway, swing”
2. Proto-Germanic · derived from*swaimaz“a moving to and fro, a sway”
3. Old Norse · derived fromsveimr“a bustle, stir”
4. Old English · derived from*swǣman“to trouble, grieve”
5. Middle English · derived fromswemen“to feel faint, be overcome”
6. Middle English · inherited fromsweem
7. English todaysweam

From Middle English sweem, sweme, swem (“a dizziness”), from Middle English swemen (“to feel faint, be overcome”), from Old English *swǣman (“to trouble, grieve”); and also from Old Norse sveimr (“a bustle, stir”), from Proto-Germanic *swaimaz (“a moving to and fro, a sway”), from Proto-Indo-European *sweh₁- (“to sway, swing”). Cognate with Old Norse svími (“dizziness, fainting”) (Danish svime (“a swoon”)), Dutch zwijm (“a swoon, fainting fit”), Old English swīma (“vertigo, dizziness, a swoon”). More at swim.

Words from the same roots