swim

Meanings

1. 1
   verb

   To move through water by using your arms, legs, fins, or tail.

   We had to swim for twenty minutes to reach the shore.

2. 2
   noun

   An act or period of swimming.

   They took a short swim in the pool before breakfast.

3. 3
   verb

   To be covered in or surrounded by a large amount of liquid.

   The meat was swimming in a fatty gravy.

4. 4
   verb

   To feel dizzy or unsteady.

   My head was swimming after the long flight.

Appears in

Simplified etymology

Swim is an Old English word, first recorded in the epic poem Beowulf. The expression sink or swim had become a metaphor for failure or success by late Middle English, while in the swim, meaning in touch with current fashion, appeared in the late 19th century.

From Middle English swymmen, from Old English swimman (“to swim, float”) (class III strong verb; past tense swamm, past participle geswummen), from Proto-West Germanic *swimman, from Proto-Germanic *swimmaną (“to swim”), from Proto-Indo-European *swem(bʰ)- (“to be unsteady, move, swim”). Cognates Cognate with North Frisian sweem, swome, swume, swumi, swumme, swääm (“to swim”), Saterland Frisian and West Frisian swimme (“to swim”), Dutch zwemmen (“to swim”), German schwimmen (“to swim”), Limburgish schwämme, zwömme (“to swim”), Low German swimmen (“to swim”), Luxembourgish schwammen (“to swim”)…

Topics

External links

• Google Images
• Cambridge Dictionary
• Wiktionary