swarmen

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

Conjugation of swarmen (weak verb)
infinitive swarmen
present preterite
1st person singular swarm swarm
2nd person singular swarms(t) swarms(t)
3rd person singular swarm(t) swarm
plural swarmt, swarmen swarmen
imperative
singular swarm(e)
plural swarmt
present past
participle swarmen (e)swarmt, geswarmt

Note: This conjugation is one of many.
Neither its grammar nor spelling apply to all dialects.

Middle English

Alternative forms

Etymology

From Old English swirman, 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

Conjugation of swarmen (weak in -ed)
infinitive (to) swarmen, swarme
present tense past tense
1st-person singular swarme swarmed
2nd-person singular swarmest swarmedest
3rd-person singular swarmeth swarmed
subjunctive singular swarme
imperative singular
plural1 swarmen, swarme swarmeden, swarmede
imperative plural swarmeth, swarme
participles swarmynge, swarmende swarmed, yswarmed

1 Sometimes used as a formal 2nd-person singular.

Descendants

  • English: swarm
  • Scots: swairm

References