English
swelter
Swelter comes from Middle English swelteren ‘to swelter’, from swelten ‘to die’, and ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *swel- ‘to smolder’.
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*swel-‘to smolder’reconstructed
- Proto-Germanicc. 500 BCE–200 CE*sweltaną‘to die’reconstructed
- Proto-West Germanicc. 200–500 CE*sweltanreconstructed
- Old Englishc. 450–1150sweltan‘to die’
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500swelten‘to die’
- Middle English, derivedc. 1150–1500swelteren‘to swelter’frequentative form of swelten
- Englishearliest quotation 1796swelter
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed
Lineage
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*swel-‘to smolder’reconstructed
- Proto-Germanicc. 500 BCE–200 CE*sweltaną‘to die’reconstructed
- Proto-West Germanicc. 200–500 CE*sweltanreconstructed
- Old Englishc. 450–1150sweltan‘to die’
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500swelten‘to die’
- Middle English, derivedc. 1150–1500swelteren‘to swelter’frequentative form of swelten
- Englishearliest quotation 1796swelter
Earliest quotation: 1796, Samuel Taylor Coleridge, Fire: “It was so rare a piece of fun To…”
Formed from swelt + -er
Proto-Germanic *sweltaną ‘to die’
Proto-West Germanic *sweltan
Old English sweltan ‘to die’
Middle English swelten ‘to die’
English swelt
Linked words
through Proto-Indo-European *swel- ‘to smolder’
swollen, methyl, ethyl, swell, isopropyl, phenyl, ethane, swole, swill, 33 more
Today it means
verb To suffer terribly from intense heat.
Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.
Etymograph / Proto-Indo-European *swel- / swelter