Etymograph

English

swine

Swine comes from Middle English swyn ‘a pig, hog or swine’, and goes back to Proto-Indo-European *suH-.

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*suH-‘pig’reconstructed
  2. Proto-Germanicc. 500 BCE–200 CE*swīną‘pig’reconstructed
  3. Proto-West Germanicc. 200–500 CE*swīn‘pig, swine’reconstructed
  4. Old Englishc. 450–1150swīn‘pig’
  5. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500swyn‘a pig, hog or swine’
  6. Englishearliest quotation 1969swine

attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed

Lineage

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*suH-‘pig’reconstructed
  2. Proto-Germanicc. 500 BCE–200 CE*swīną‘pig’reconstructed
  3. Proto-West Germanicc. 200–500 CE*swīn‘pig, swine’reconstructed
  4. Old Englishc. 450–1150swīn‘pig’
  5. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500swyn‘a pig, hog or swine’
  6. Englishearliest quotation 1969swine

Earliest quotation: 1969, "Protesters Mob German Rightist...", New York Times: “Thousands of workers and students screaming "Get out of…”

Linked words

through Proto-Indo-European *suH- ‘pig’

sow, hyena, 7 more

Today it means

noun A pig, an animal of family Suidae, especially in agricultural contexts.

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

Etymograph / Proto-Indo-European *suH- / swine

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