Etymograph

English

swill

Swill comes from Middle English swilen ‘to wash’, from Proto-Germanic *swiljaną ‘to gulp, swallow’, and ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *swel-.

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*swel-‘to drink, gulp, swallow’reconstructed
  2. Proto-Germanicc. 500 BCE–200 CE*swiljaną‘to gulp, swallow’reconstructed
  3. Proto-West Germanicc. 200–500 CE*swilljanreconstructed
  4. Old Englishc. 450–1150swillan‘to wash’
  5. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500swilen‘to wash’
  6. Englishearliest quotation 1599swill

attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed

Lineage

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*swel-‘to drink, gulp, swallow’reconstructed
  2. Proto-Germanicc. 500 BCE–200 CE*swiljaną‘to gulp, swallow’reconstructed
  3. Proto-West Germanicc. 200–500 CE*swilljanreconstructed
  4. Old Englishc. 450–1150swillan‘to wash’
  5. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500swilen‘to wash’
  6. Englishearliest quotation 1599swill

Earliest quotation: 1599, William Shakespeare, The Life of Henry the Fift: “As fearfully as doth a galled rock / O’erhang…”

Linked words

through Proto-Indo-European *swel- ‘to drink, gulp, swallow’

methyl, swollen, swell, ethyl, isopropyl, phenyl, ethane, swole, 34 more

Today it means

noun A mixture of solid and liquid food scraps fed to pigs etc; especially kitchen waste for this purpose.

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

Etymograph / Proto-Indo-European *swel- / swill

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