Etymograph

English

sweat

Sweat comes from Middle English swete ‘blood’, from Proto-Indo-European *swoyd- ‘to sweat’, and ultimately from *sweyd-.

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*sweyd-‘to sweat’reconstructed
  2. Proto-Indo-European, derivedc. 4500–2500 BCE*swoyd-‘to sweat’reconstructedo-grade of *sweyd-
  3. Proto-Germanicc. 500 BCE–200 CE*swait-reconstructed
  4. Old Englishc. 450–1150swāt
  5. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500swete‘blood’
  6. Englishearliest quotation 1577sweat

attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed

Lineage

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*sweyd-‘to sweat’reconstructed
  2. Proto-Indo-European, derivedc. 4500–2500 BCE*swoyd-‘to sweat’reconstructedo-grade of *sweyd-
  3. Proto-Germanicc. 500 BCE–200 CE*swait-reconstructed
  4. Old Englishc. 450–1150swāt
  5. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500swete‘blood’
  6. Englishearliest quotation 1577sweat

Earliest quotation: 1577, Raphaell Holinshed, The Firste Volume of the Chronicles of England: “[…]who both died within one houre of the sweat…”

Linked words

through Proto-Indo-European *sweyd- ‘to sweat’

exude, 18 more

through Old English swāt

swot

Another origin of sweat

  1. Proto-Germanicc. 500 BCE–200 CE*swaitijaną‘to sweat’reconstructed
  2. Proto-West Germanicc. 200–500 CE*swaitijanreconstructed
  3. Old Englishc. 450–1150swǣtan‘to sweat’
  4. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500sweten‘to sweat, perspire, bleed’
  5. Englishtodaysweat

Today it means

noun Fluid that exits the body through pores in the skin usually due to physical stress and/or high temperature for the purpose of regulating body temperature and removing certain compounds from the circulation.

Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.

Etymograph / Proto-Indo-European *sweyd- / sweat

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