swarmen

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Low German

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Etymology

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From the noun Swarm. Related to Dutch zwermen and German schwärmen.

Verb

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swarmen (past swarm, past participle swarmt, auxiliary verb hebben)

  1. to swarm

Conjugation

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Middle English

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Alternative forms

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Etymology

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From Old English swierman, from Proto-Germanic *swarmijaną; equivalent to swarm +‎ -en (infinitival suffix).

Pronunciation

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  • IPA(key): /ˈswarmən/, /ˈswɛrmən/

Verb

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swarmen

  1. To swarm; to move around in a large group.
    • a. 1400, Geoffrey Chaucer, “The Summoner's Tale”, in The Canterbury Tales, lines 1693–1696:
      Right so as bees out swarmen from an hyve, / Out of the develes ers ther gonne dryve / Twenty thousand freres on a route / And thurghout helle swarmed al aboute...
      Just like bees swarm from a hive / Out of the devil's arse there were driven / Twenty thousand friars on a rout / And throughout hell they swarmed all about...
  2. (rare) To be present in great quantity.

Conjugation

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Descendants

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  • English: swarm
  • Scots: swairm

References

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