swath
English
[edit]Alternative forms
[edit]Etymology
[edit]From Middle English swath, swathe, from Old English swæþ, swaþu (“track; trace; footstep; mark; vestige; scar”), from Proto-Germanic *swaþō (“a wind-swept place; open field; borderland; terrain”), from Proto-Indo-European *swem(bʰ)- (“to bend, turn, swing”).[1]
Cognate with Dutch zwade, zwad (“swath; windrow”), German Schwade (“swath; windrow”), Icelandic svæði (“area; zone; sector; region”).
Corresponds to Middle Low German and Middle Dutch swat, Middle High German and MNG swade, NDu swad(e), Old Frisian swethe (“border”). Root meaning: trace of a cut.
Attested in English since 888 in its obsolete meaning of track or trace, since 1475 in its more modern usage. Cognate with German Schwaden (“row of mown grass or grain”).
No definite cognates outside Germanic languages.
- See F. Kluge, Etymologisches Wörterbuch (De Gruyter), entry Schwaden, and OED.
Pronunciation
[edit]- (UK) IPA(key): /swɒθ/, (sense 2) IPA(key): /sweɪð/
- (US) IPA(key): /swɑθ/, /swɔθ/, (sense 2) IPA(key): /swɑð/, /sweɪð/, /swɔð/
Audio (US): (file) - Rhymes: -ɒθ
Noun
[edit]swath (plural swaths)
- The track cut out by a scythe in mowing.
- (often figuratively) A broad sweep or expanse, such as of land or of people.
- A large swath of the population is opposed to this government policy.
- Five days after Hurricane Katrina, large swaths of New Orleans are still submerged in water.
- 2015 February 20, Jesse Jackson, “In the Ferguson era, Malcolm X’s courage in fighting racism inspires more than ever”, in The Guardian (London)[1]:
- It is undeniable that Malcolm was a beacon of huge strength in his lifetime. He could connect with swaths of people when others could not.
Derived terms
[edit]Translations
[edit]
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- The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables. See instructions at Wiktionary:Entry layout § Translations.
References
[edit]- ^ Pokorny, Julius (1959) “3030”, in Indogermanisches etymologisches Wörterbuch [Indo-European Etymological Dictionary] (in German), volume 3, Bern, München: Francke Verlag, page 3030
Anagrams
[edit]Middle English
[edit]Etymology 1
[edit]From Old English swaþu.
Noun
[edit]swath
- Alternative form of swathe (“swath”)
Etymology 2
[edit]From Old English *swaþian.
Verb
[edit]swath
- Alternative form of swathen
- English terms inherited from Middle English
- English terms derived from Middle English
- English terms inherited from Old English
- English terms derived from Old English
- English terms inherited from Proto-Germanic
- English terms derived from Proto-Germanic
- English terms derived from Proto-Indo-European
- English 1-syllable words
- English terms with IPA pronunciation
- English terms with audio pronunciation
- Rhymes:English/ɒθ
- Rhymes:English/ɒθ/1 syllable
- English lemmas
- English nouns
- English countable nouns
- English terms with usage examples
- English terms with quotations
- Middle English terms inherited from Old English
- Middle English terms derived from Old English
- Middle English lemmas
- Middle English nouns
- Middle English verbs