Etymograph

English

swarm

Swarm comes from Middle English swarm ‘a swarm’, and goes back to Proto-Indo-European *swer- ‘to buzz, hum’.

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*swer-1‘to buzz, hum’reconstructed
  2. Proto-Germanicc. 500 BCE–200 CE*swarmaz1‘swarm, dizziness’reconstructed
  3. Proto-West Germanicc. 200–500 CE*swarm1reconstructed
  4. Old Englishc. 450–1150swearm1‘swarm, multitude’
  5. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500swarm1‘a swarm’
  6. Englishearliest quotation 1596swarm1

attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor

  1. 1 Wiktionary, English swarm
  2. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1596, Edmund Spenser: “Every place swarming with soldiers.”.

Lineage

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*swer-Wiktionary, English swarm‘to buzz, hum’reconstructed
  2. Proto-Germanicc. 500 BCE–200 CE*swarmazWiktionary, English swarm‘swarm, dizziness’reconstructed
  3. Proto-West Germanicc. 200–500 CE*swarmWiktionary, English swarmreconstructed
  4. Old Englishc. 450–1150swearmWiktionary, English swarm‘swarm, multitude’
  5. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500swarmWiktionary, English swarm‘a swarm’
  6. Englishearliest quotation 1596swarmWiktionary, English swarm. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1596, Edmund Spenser: “Every place swarming with soldiers.”

Linked words

through Proto-Indo-European *swer- ‘to buzz, hum’

answer, swear, sworn, 19 more

Today it means

noun A large number of insects or other bugs (e.g. centipedes), especially when in motion or (for bees) migrating to a new colony.

Sources

Sources: Wiktionary, “swarm”. By Wiktionary contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0, via kaikki.org (dump of Oct 3 2026); text adapted and restructured. Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word. License.

Etymograph / Proto-Indo-European *swer- / swarm

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