Middle English Dictionary Entry
swimmen v.
Entry Info
| Forms | swimmen v. Also swim(me, swime, suimmine, swimben, squim, swem(m)e & (errors) swmme, suemne, (early infl.) swmminde. Forms: sg.3 swimmeth, etc. & (?error) suiymmes; pl. swimmen, etc. & swimmun, (early) swimmæð; p.sg.1 or 3 swam(me, squam, swom & swim(m)ed; pl. swame, swomme(n, (early SWM) svommen, swummen & swimmed, (early SW) swimden & (error) smumme; ppl. swimmed. |
| Etymology | OE swimman; p. swam, swom; pl. swumman; ppl. -swummen (cp. geswummen, p.ppl. of geswimman). For pr. forms in -e- cp. OE beswemman; for weak p. forms cp. beswemman, p.ppl. beswend & OI svimma, p.ppl. summit or svima, p.ppl. svimat. |
Definitions (Senses and Subsenses)
1.
(a) Of a person, fish, bird, etc.: to move or travel through water by moving the limbs, fins, etc., swim; -- also refl.; also, swim (a certain distance), cover (a distance) by swimming; (b) fig. and in fig. contexts; sinken or ~, of souls: to be lost or saved; (c) in proverb and conventional comparisons; (d) ~ ful of, of a spring: to abound in (swimming fishes).
Associated quotations
a
- a1150(OE) Vsp.D.Hom.(Vsp D.14)8/17 : Scyppend gescop..sæ mid alle þan þe hire on swimmeð.
- c1175(?OE) Bod.Hom.(Bod 343)84/3 : Summe swimmæð on flode; summe fleoð ȝeont þas lyft.
- a1225(?OE) Lamb.Hom.(Lamb 487)51 : Crabbe is an manere of fissce..þet euer se he mare strengðdeð him to swmminde [?read: swimminne] mid þe watere, se he mare swimmeð abac..þe alde crabbe..bi-gon to swimmen forðward mid þe streme and swam hire þer aȝen.
- a1225(?OE) Lamb.Hom.(Lamb 487)129 : Alle þe fiscas..swummen in þere se.
- c1275(?a1200) Lay.Brut (Clg A.9)673 : Þa mereminnen heom to svommen [Otho: swomme] on alchare sidan.
- c1300 Horn (LdMisc 108)82/1469 : Reymyld wit hire honde Wolde suemme to londe.
- c1300 SLeg.Brendan (Hrl 2277:Horst.)169 : He suam more þan tuei myle.
- c1300 SLeg.Brendan (LdMisc 108)416 : An oþur fisch out of þe west þare cam swymme [Hrl:Wright: suymminge] bliue.
- c1300 SLeg.Patr.(LdMisc 108)350 : In þat water..Þis gostes swymden op and doun in muche sorewe and wo.
- c1330 Otuel (Auch)1617 : In to þe water manye fledde, Summe smumme [read: swumme] & summe sunke.
- a1350 SLeg.Brendan (Ashm 43)672 : Þis fisch..swom uorþ..In þe grete se.
- c1350 Cmb.Ee.4.20.Nominale (Cmb Ee.4.20)328 : In the see swymmun [F nouent] rays.
- (c1384) WBible(1) (Dc 369(2))1 Mac.9.48 : Jonathas lippide out, and thei that weren with hym, in to Jordan, and swame [WB(2): swommen] over Jordan to hem.
- (c1384) WBible(1) (Dc 369(2))Deeds 27.42 : Sothli counceil of the knyȝtis was for to sle men in the keping, lest ony schulde scape whanne he hadde swymmed out.
- (a1387) Trev.Higd.(StJ-C H.1)4.197 : Cesar swam þre hondred paas wiþ oon hond.
- (a1393) Gower CA (Frf 3)4.3098 : Sche sih hire lord livende In liknesse of a bridd swimmende.
- a1400(a1325) Cursor (Vsp A.3)1787 : Þe leon suam [Frf: squam] beside þe hert.
- c1400(?c1380) Cleanness (Nero A.10)388 : Summe swymmed þeron þat save hemself trawed.
- a1425(c1333-52) Minot Poems (Glb E.9)16/58 : Þe kaitefs come out of France at lere þam to swim.
- (1440) PParv.(Hrl 221)483 : Swymmyn yn water: Nato.
- c1440 PLAlex.(Thrn)69/11 : He hadd a certane of his knyghtes..swyme ouer þe water to þe castell.
- a1450(a1338) Mannyng Chron.Pt.1 (Lamb 131)3782 : I not wheþer hit suiymmes [vr. suimmes] or is atte ground.
- c1450 Capgr.Rome (Bod 423)24 : Thann saued he him selue swymmyng with o hand.
- c1475(?a1430) Lydg.Pilgr.(Tbr A.7)19079 : Pylgrymes..Swomme fforth fful euene and ryght.
- c1475 Body Pol.(Cmb Kk.1.5)130/12-13 : Hurte as he was, he swamme ouer, makyng the watyr all blody as he swamme.
- a1500(?a1390) Mirk Fest.(GoughETop 4)272/29 : He sawe a gret eddyr swym ouer a watyr.
- a1500(a1460) Towneley Pl.(Hnt HM 1)3/55 : The water to norish the fysh swymand.
- a1500 Add.37075 Gloss (Add 37075)103/ 341b : Adno: swemme to.
- a1500 Let.Alex.(Wor F.172)153,154 : I sent cc knyghtis, lightly armed swymmers of the Macedoynes, to swymme þe compas aboute, And..whan thei hadden swymmed and Rowed the iiii part of the floode aboute, sodainly was seen horrible and grisely þingis.
b
- ?a1425(a1415) Wycl.Lantern (Hrl 2324)106/5 : Prestis..charge not wheþir þei synk or swyme, so þei moun regne as lordis.
- a1425(?a1400) RRose (Htrn 409)7007 : But al amydde I bilde and mak My hous, and swmme [read: swimme] and pley therynne, Bet than a fish doth with his fynne.
- (?a1439) Lydg.FP (Bod 263)2.3920 : His fatal eende was for to swymme in blood.
- c1450(c1415) Roy.Serm.(Roy 18.B.23)327/33 : Þe see is not els but redines to synne..And sum were swymmyng aboven þe watur and sonke not, as Iohn Baptiste and many oþur.
- c1450 Jacob's W.(Sal 103)68/5 : It schal make ȝou in ȝoure ende to swymmyn in-to þe hyȝe hyll of hevene.
- ?a1475 LDirige(2) (Dc 322)83 : For Mary loue, that mayde so fre, In whos blode thy son swamme.
- a1500 Chartier Treat.Hope (Rwl A.338)119/6 : Dyverse doctours..haue laboured to vndirstonde the predestinacion of God with the freele arbitracion of man, But thei swomme above and foonde neuir the botoom.
c
- a1300 11 Pains(1) (Jes-O 29)64 : Mo saulen þolieþ þer swich wo Þene fysses swimme oþer fueles go.
- (c1390) Chaucer CT.Mil.(Manly-Rickert)A.3575 : Thanne shaltow swymme [vr. sweme] as murye, I vndertake, As doth the white doke after his drake.
- a1400 Cato(3) (Frf 14)251 : Wiþ rape reiche þou þe brim is better þen in see to squim.
- a1500(?c1440) Lydg.HGS (Lnsd 699)259 : As swannys the[i] swomme in the riveer.
- ?a1500 in Halliwell D.839 : Withynne the castell is whyte shynyng As is the swan when heo is swymbyng.
d
- c1430(c1380) Chaucer PF (Benson-Robinson)188 : Colde welle-stremes, nothyng dede, That swymmen [vrr. swemyn, swommen] ful of smale fishes lighte, With fynnes rede and skales sylver bryghte.
2.
(a) Of an inanimate object: to float on the surface of a liquid; ~ aboven, ~ o loft, float on or near the surface; (b) of a ship: to float, move over the water; of a person: float in a vessel, float upon an object; also, set (a ship) afloat; (c) of a liquid: ~ aboven, to form the top layer of a mixed fluid; ~ aboven the water, come to the top of the water; (d) to move suspended in a liquid, be steeped or immersed in a liquid; of a bodily fluid or waste product: flow; ~ in hed, of wine: swim in the head, go to the head.
Associated quotations
a
- (a1382) WBible(1) (Bod 959)4 Kings 6.6 : Þe iren swam [WB(2): fletide].
- (a1387) Trev.Higd.(StJ-C H.1)1.119 : A lanterne wiþ lyȝt fleteþ and swymmeth [Higd.(2): swymmethe] aboue [L supernatet].
- (a1398) *Trev.Barth.(Add 27944)211a/b : An ey synkeþ anon in freissh water and swymmeþ in salt water.
- c1425(a1420) Lydg.TB (Aug A.4)3.5728 : Eban tre..in water..kyndely to þe grounde it goth, To swymme o loft in soth it is so loth.
- (a1460) Bokenham Sts. (Adv Abbotsford B3)76.45 (v.2: p.69) : The seid tree bigan to houen aboue the watir and to swymmen.
- (a1470) Malory Wks.(Win-C)92/6 : So by adventure hit [sword] swamme downe by the streme unto the cite of Camelot.
b
- c1300(?c1225) Horn (Cmb Gg.4.27)13/189 : Vre schip bigan to swymme [vrr. suemne; flet] To þis londes brymme.
- (a1387) Trev.Higd.(StJ-C H.1)7.461 : Oon cherle..swam [Higd.(2): fletynge; L supernatans] al nyȝt uppon a broken mast.
- (c1390) Chaucer CT.Mil.(Manly-Rickert)A.3550 : We mowen swymme as in a barge.
- (a1393) Gower CA (Frf 3)5.4338 : Ther swam a Schep tofore here yhen.
- ?a1475 Ludus C.(Vsp D.8)3/71 : He sent to Noe An Angel bolde A shyp ffor to makyn and swymmen on þe se.
- 1591(?a1425) Chester Pl.(Hnt HM 2)45/83 : I beginne to make the shippe that wee shall in, that wee may be ready for to swyme at the comminge of the fludd.
c
- ?a1425 *MS Htrn.95 (Htrn 95)168a/a : Fille þe potte to þe myddes wiþ oile and water & schogge alle wele to gider, & when it haþ made residence þe oile wille swymme aboue.
- c1450 Burg.Practica (Rwl D.251)259/5 : If þe drop of mylke swymme aboue þe water, þen it ys a dowtyr, and if it goo downe to-warde þe botum, þen it ys a sunne.
- c1475 *Mondeville (Wel 564)154b/a : Whanne þou hast soden hem, medle hem wiþ wiyn þat þe wiyn swymme aboue.
d
- a1425 Daniel *Treat.Uroscopy (Wel 225)181/1416 : Reuma is as I said, & it is said of rois & of maner to suymmyne & flow.
- a1425 Daniel *Treat.Uroscopy (Wel 225)317/4516 : An uryn citryn thyn, bod mare thyn aboven þan beneth, & namely with small greynes swymmynge in þe uryn.
- a1425 Daniel *Treat.Uroscopy (Wel 225)329/4790 : Oft-tym þe matrice is gretly..overchargit with salt fleume & þare haldys hyt unkyndely & turnys into felth & corrupcion, & swymmes furth be vena concava to epar, & þare infectys & corrumpys þe blud.
- a1425 Daniel *Treat.Uroscopy (Wel 225)429/1168 : Fleume..becaus of hys caldhed & moisthede & hys liquidite..swymmys & flowes & makys oþer humors for to do alsa.
- c1450 Burg.Practica (Rwl D.251)220/22 : Take sanycle m j, of pygyl m j, and stampe hem wel to-gedyr..and þen frye it vp with mete-oyle, þat it be swymmyng, and þen clense it.
- a1500(?c1400) Song Roland (Lnsd 388)70 : Wyn..swymyd in ther hedis and mad hem to nap.
- a1500(?a1390) Mirk Fest.(GoughETop 4)14/18 : Þay vndedyn hit and fonden his bones swymmyng yn oyle.
3.
Fig. in phrase ~ in: (a) to have an abundance of (possessions, riches); be overcome by (gladness, languor); indulge in (extravagance); (b) to be dressed in (extravagant clothes), go about in (flowing garments).
Associated quotations
a
- (c1395) Chaucer CT.Sum.(Manly-Rickert)D.1926 : At the gospel may ye seen, Wher it be likker oure professioun Or hirs that swymmen [vr. swemmen] in possessioun; Fy on hir pompe and on hir glotonye.
- (?1406) Hoccl.MR (Hnt HM 111)404 : I am contryt & of ful repentance Þt euere I swymmed in swich nycetee As was displesaunt to thy deitee.
- a1450(1412) Hoccl.RP (Hrl 4866)1254 : They..swymmen in richesse.
- a1500 Welcome be ȝe (Cmb Ff.1.6)7 : In gladnesse I swym and baine.
- a1605(c1422) Hoccl.Compl.(Dur-U Cosin V.3.9)27 : In langour he made [me] swyme.
b
- ?a1425(a1415) Wycl.Lantern (Hrl 2324)30/24 : Þis is not þos þat weren wide and siȝde cloþis & swymmen in cloþis of greete prijs.
4.
Ppl. swimminge as adj., translating L natativa, prob. error for nauseativa.
Associated quotations
- ?a1425 *Chauliac(1) (NY 12)162a/b : Forsoþ þer preparateþ to vomite many diuers metes and swete and fatte and fletyng metez or swymmyng [L nauseatiua, vr. natatiua] as ficus..onyonz, benez, swynez flesh.