swarmen

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Low German

Etymology

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

Verb

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

  1. to swarm

Conjugation

Middle English

Alternative forms

Etymology

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

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /ˈswarmən/, /ˈswɛrmən/

Verb

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

Descendants

  • English: swarm
  • Scots: swairm

References