swarm
pronunciation
How to pronounce swarm in British English:
UK [swɔːm]
How to pronounce swarm in American English:
US [swɔːrm]
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- Noun:
- a moving crowd
- a group of many insects
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- Verb:
- be teeming, be abuzz
- move in large numbers
Word Origin
- swarm
- swarm: Swarm ‘group of insects’ [OE] and swarm ‘climb’ [16] are distinct words. The former comes from a prehistoric Germanic *swarmaz, which also produced German schwarm, and is closely related to Dutch swerm, Swedish svärm, and Danish sværm. It may go back ultimately to an Indo-European base which also lay behind Latin susurrus ‘hum’ and Sanskrit svárati ‘it sounds’. The origins of swarm ‘climb’ are not known.
- swarm (n.)
- "cloud of bees or other insects," Old English swearm "swarm, multitude," from Proto-Germanic *swarmaz (cognates: Old Saxon, Middle Low German swarm, Danish sværm "a swarm," Swedish svärm, Middle Dutch swerm, Old High German swaram, German Schwarm "swarm;" Old Norse svarmr "tumult"), by Watkins, etc., derived from PIE imitative root *swer- (2) "to buzz, whisper" (see susurration) on notion of humming sound, and thus probably originally of bees. But OED suggests possible connection with base of swerve and ground sense of "agitated, confused, or deflected motion." General sense "large, dense throng" is from early 15c.
- swarm (v.1)
- "to climb (a tree, pole, etc.) by clasping with the arms and legs alternately, to shin," 1540s, of uncertain origin. "Perh. orig. a sailor's word borrowed from the Continent, but no trace of the meaning has been discovered for phonetically corresponding words" [OED]. perhaps originally a sailors' word, of uncertain origin. Also recorded as swarve (16c.) and in Northern dialects swarble, swarmle. Related: Swarmed; swarming.
- swarm (v.2)
- "to leave a hive to start another," also "to gather in a swarm, crowd, or throng," late 14c., from swarm (n.). Compare Dutch zwermen, German schwärmen, Danish sværme. Related: Swarmed; swarming.
Example
- 1. Her royal scent acted like a magnet on the swarm .
- 2. How big does your swarm have to be ?
- 3. Around five percent of the swarm goes hunting for new lodgings .
- 4. Tourists now swarm through the old mission 's whitewashed buildings .
- 5. Stroll around any mexican city for a while and you will notice a background hum like a swarm of angry bees .