English word origin

Etymology of swith

2 source sectionsExtended source reportWiktionary original ↗

In this entry · 2 source sections

The source etymologies

Wiktionary via Kaikki / Wiktextract

The source reports below are imported and unreviewed by *SET-U. Separate numbered origins and differing source variants are preserved; agreement within this extraction is not independent corroboration.

Source etymology 1

Original entry ↗

adj

Strong; vehement.

Selected source glosses provide context, not a complete modern definition inventory

From Middle English swith, from Old English swīþ (“strong, mighty, powerful, active, severe, violent”), from Proto-West Germanic *swinþ, from Proto-Germanic *swinþaz (“strong”). Cognate with Old Saxon swīth, Middle High German swind (Modern German geschwind (“fast, quick, swift”)), Middle Low German swîde (Modern Low German swied (“very, quite”)), Dutch gezwind (“fast, quick, swift”), West Frisian swiid (“impressive, special”), Old Norse svinnr, sviðr (“quick, clever, understanding, wise”), Gothic 𐍃𐍅𐌹𐌽𐌸𐍃 (swinþs, “strong”). Possibly related to sound.

Relationships mentioned by the source

These are extracted mentions, not a timeline or a verified sequence of immediate parents.

Inherited-form mentionswithenm
Inherited-form mentionswīþang · strong, mighty, powerful, active, severe, violent
Inherited-form mention*swinþgmw-pro
Inherited-form mention*swinþazgem-pro · strong
Cognate mentionswīthosx
Cognate mentionswindgmh
Cognate mentiongeschwindde · fast, quick, swift
Cognate mentionswîdegml
Cognate mentionswiednds · very, quite
Cognate mentiongezwindnl · fast, quick, swift
Cognate mentionswiidfy · impressive, special
Cognate mentionsvinnrnon
Cognate mention𐍃𐍅𐌹𐌽𐌸𐍃got · strong

Inspect preserved source fields

Raw extraction fields are retained for auditing. Their order does not establish ancestry.

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  "templates": [
    {
      "name": "inh",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "enm",
        "3": "swith"
      },
      "expansion": "Middle English swith"
    },
    {
      "name": "inh",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "ang",
        "3": "swīþ",
        "t": "strong, mighty, powerful, active, severe, violent"
      },
      "expansion": "Old English swīþ (“strong, mighty, powerful, active, severe, violent”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "inh",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "gmw-pro",
        "3": "*swinþ"
      },
      "expansion": "Proto-West Germanic *swinþ"
    },
    {
      "name": "inh",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "gem-pro",
        "3": "*swinþaz",
        "t": "strong"
      },
      "expansion": "Proto-Germanic *swinþaz (“strong”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "osx",
        "2": "swīth"
      },
      "expansion": "Old Saxon swīth"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "gmh",
        "2": "swind"
      },
      "expansion": "Middle High German swind"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "de",
        "2": "geschwind",
        "t": "fast, quick, swift"
      },
      "expansion": "German geschwind (“fast, quick, swift”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "gml",
        "2": "swîde"
      },
      "expansion": "Middle Low German swîde"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "nds",
        "2": "swied",
        "t": "very, quite"
      },
      "expansion": "Low German swied (“very, quite”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "nl",
        "2": "gezwind",
        "t": "fast, quick, swift"
      },
      "expansion": "Dutch gezwind (“fast, quick, swift”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "fy",
        "2": "swiid",
        "t": "impressive, special"
      },
      "expansion": "West Frisian swiid (“impressive, special”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "non",
        "2": "svinnr"
      },
      "expansion": "Old Norse svinnr"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "got",
        "2": "𐍃𐍅𐌹𐌽𐌸𐍃",
        "t": "strong"
      },
      "expansion": "Gothic 𐍃𐍅𐌹𐌽𐌸𐍃 (swinþs, “strong”)"
    }
  ],
  "links": [
    [
      "swith",
      "swith#Middle_English"
    ],
    [
      "swīþ",
      "swiþ#Old_English"
    ],
    [
      "*swinþ",
      "Reconstruction:Proto-West Germanic/swinþ"
    ],
    [
      "*swinþaz",
      "Reconstruction:Proto-Germanic/swinþaz"
    ],
    [
      "swīth",
      "swith#Old_Saxon"
    ],
    [
      "swind",
      "swind#Middle_High_German"
    ],
    [
      "geschwind",
      "geschwind#German"
    ],
    [
      "swîde",
      "swide#Middle_Low_German"
    ],
    [
      "swied",
      "swied#Low_German"
    ],
    [
      "gezwind",
      "gezwind#Dutch"
    ],
    [
      "swiid",
      "swiid#West_Frisian"
    ],
    [
      "svinnr",
      "svinnr#Old_Norse"
    ],
    [
      "sviðr",
      "sviðr#Old_Norse"
    ],
    [
      "𐍃𐍅𐌹𐌽𐌸𐍃",
      "𐍃𐍅𐌹𐌽𐌸𐍃#Gothic"
    ],
    [
      "sound",
      "sound#English"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "adj",
      "glosses": [
        "Strong; vehement."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "dialectal",
        "obsolete"
      ],
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  "omittedAuxiliaryFields": {
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    "lexicalRecords": 0,
    "lexicalSenses": 0,
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  }
}

Source etymology 2

Original entry ↗

adv

Quickly, speedily, promptly. · Strongly; vehemently; very.

Selected source glosses provide context, not a complete modern definition inventory

From Middle English swith, swithe, from Old English swīþe (“very much, exceedingly, severely, violently, fiercely”), from Proto-West Germanic *swinþā, from Proto-Germanic *swinþê (“strongly”), from Proto-Indo-European *swento- (“active, healthy”). Cognate with Saterland Frisian swied (“very”), West Frisian swiid (“very”), Dutch zwijd (“very, extremely”), Low German swied (“quite, very”), Dutch gezwind (“quick, swift”). Not related to superficially similar English swift.

Relationships mentioned by the source

These are extracted mentions, not a timeline or a verified sequence of immediate parents.

Inherited-form mentionswithenm
Inherited-form mentionswīþeang · very much, exceedingly, severely, violently, fiercely
Inherited-form mention*swinþāgmw-pro
Inherited-form mention*swinþêgem-pro · strongly
Derivation mention*swento-ine-pro · active, healthy
Cognate mentionswiedstq · very
Cognate mentionswiidfy · very
Cognate mentionzwijdnl · very, extremely
Cognate mentionswiednds · quite, very
Cognate mentiongezwindnl · quick, swift

Inspect preserved source fields

Raw extraction fields are retained for auditing. Their order does not establish ancestry.

{
  "templates": [
    {
      "name": "inh",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "enm",
        "3": "swith"
      },
      "expansion": "Middle English swith"
    },
    {
      "name": "inh",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "ang",
        "3": "swīþe",
        "t": "very much, exceedingly, severely, violently, fiercely"
      },
      "expansion": "Old English swīþe (“very much, exceedingly, severely, violently, fiercely”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "inh",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "gmw-pro",
        "3": "*swinþā"
      },
      "expansion": "Proto-West Germanic *swinþā"
    },
    {
      "name": "inh",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "gem-pro",
        "3": "*swinþê",
        "t": "strongly"
      },
      "expansion": "Proto-Germanic *swinþê (“strongly”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "der",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "ine-pro",
        "3": "*swento-",
        "t": "active, healthy"
      },
      "expansion": "Proto-Indo-European *swento- (“active, healthy”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "stq",
        "2": "swied",
        "t": "very"
      },
      "expansion": "Saterland Frisian swied (“very”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "fy",
        "2": "swiid",
        "t": "very"
      },
      "expansion": "West Frisian swiid (“very”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "nl",
        "2": "zwijd",
        "t": "very, extremely"
      },
      "expansion": "Dutch zwijd (“very, extremely”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "nds",
        "2": "swied",
        "t": "quite, very"
      },
      "expansion": "Low German swied (“quite, very”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "nl",
        "2": "gezwind",
        "t": "quick, swift"
      },
      "expansion": "Dutch gezwind (“quick, swift”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "m+",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "swift"
      },
      "expansion": "English swift"
    }
  ],
  "links": [
    [
      "swith",
      "swith#Middle_English"
    ],
    [
      "swithe",
      "swithe#Middle_English"
    ],
    [
      "swīþe",
      "swiþe#Old_English"
    ],
    [
      "*swinþā",
      "Reconstruction:Proto-West Germanic/swinþā"
    ],
    [
      "*swinþê",
      "Reconstruction:Proto-Germanic/swinþê"
    ],
    [
      "*swento-",
      "Reconstruction:Proto-Indo-European/swento-"
    ],
    [
      "swied",
      "swied#Saterland_Frisian"
    ],
    [
      "swiid",
      "swiid#West_Frisian"
    ],
    [
      "zwijd",
      "zwijd#Dutch"
    ],
    [
      "swied",
      "swied#Low_German"
    ],
    [
      "gezwind",
      "gezwind#Dutch"
    ],
    [
      "swift",
      "swift#English"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "adv",
      "glosses": [
        "Quickly, speedily, promptly.",
        "Strongly; vehemently; very."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "dialectal",
        "obsolete"
      ],
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  }
}

Where this record stops

This page does not supply an independently verified sound-change sequence, first-use manuscript or complete family tree unless a cited analysis explicitly establishes one. Missing detail here is a limit of this record—not a claim that humanity knows nothing more.

An older meaning does not determine what a word must mean today. Follow the sources, preserve disagreements, and keep ancestry separate from interpretation.

Contribute located evidence for swith →

Source and snapshot

Imported from Wiktionary contributors; extracted by Tatu Ylonen / Wiktextract / Kaikki.org. Selected fields are reformatted and grouped; wording, source identity and etymology sections are retained. CC-BY-SA-4.0 applies to the imported source material.

Dump: 2026-10-01 · Extracted: 2026-10-30. These are snapshot dates, not the word’s first attestation or the page’s revision date.

Source entry and bibliography ↗Wiktionary revision history ↗Acquisition and rights ledger

Machine-source provenance

Source SHA-256: 5ff2c072f8099f2d2ce484bd6957bf179f046d2ad37bc36555edf8bb84cb5291
Import run: 73216b9a9b78ed3830994bf853103716f5a4dc57099e371e9f8fdc468facca26
Permanent entry ID: w-c3dpdGg