swelter

The story

1. Proto-Indo-European · inherited from*swel-“to smolder; burn”
2. Proto-Germanic · inherited from*sweltaną“to die”
3. Proto-West Germanic · inherited from*sweltan
4. Old English · inherited fromsweltan“to die”
5. Middle English · inherited fromswelten“to die; faint”
6. Middle English · inherited fromswelteren
7. English todayswelter

From Middle English swelteren, frequentative form of Middle English swelten (“to die; faint”), from Old English sweltan (“to die”), from Proto-West Germanic *sweltan, from Proto-Germanic *sweltaną (“to die”), from Proto-Indo-European *swel- (“to smolder; burn”), equivalent to swelt + -er (frequentative suffix).

Words from the same roots