swim
To propel oneself through water using movements of the limbs or body.
Etymology
From Old English swimman, from Proto-Germanic *swimmaną. This likely traces to PIE *swem- meaning "to swim, to be in motion," though the PIE etymology is not as securely established as some other roots. The word is primarily Germanic with limited clear cognates elsewhere.
The Journey: *swem- → swim
*swem-
*swimmaną
swimman
swim
Cognates Across Languages
These words in other languages descend from the same PIE root *swem-. They are not borrowings but independent inheritances from a common ancestor.
| Language | Word |
|---|---|
| Dutch | zwemmen |
| Gothic | (none attested) |
| Old Norse | svimma |
| Old Frisian | swimma |
| Old High German | swimman |
Did You Know?
The expression "my head is swimming" preserves an ancient metaphor of disorientation as submersion. The word "swim" originally carried a broader sense of moving through any medium — not just water.
This word descends from the Proto-Indo-European root *swem-. See the full root page for descendant trees, sound law references, and scholarly discussion.