Schwarm
German edit
Etymology edit
From Old High German swarm, from Proto-Germanic *swarmaz, from Proto-Indo-European *swer- (“to buzz, hum”). Compare Dutch zwerm, English swarm, Danish sværm. The sense “crush” is a backformation from the verb schwärmen; see there.
Pronunciation edit
Noun edit
Schwarm m (strong, genitive Schwarmes or Schwarms, plural Schwärme)
- swarm of insects; flock of birds; school of fish
- 1921, Elisabeth von Heyking, Die Trommel, in Weberin Schuld, G. Grote'sche Verlagsbuchhandlung, page 8:
- Dazu zirpten unzählige Zikaden, schillernde Libellen schossen surrend durch die Luft, […], Mücken summten in Schwärmen, […]
- In addition countless cicadas chirped, iridescent dragonflies shot buzzingly through the air, […], mosquitoes hummed in swarms, […]
- 1921, Elisabeth von Heyking, Die Trommel, in Weberin Schuld, G. Grote'sche Verlagsbuchhandlung, page 8:
- crush; beloved; object of one’s (unfulfilled) love
Declension edit
Declension of Schwarm [masculine, strong]
Hyponyms edit
swarm, shoal
crush
Derived terms edit
Related terms edit
Further reading edit
- “Schwarm” in Digitales Wörterbuch der deutschen Sprache
- “Schwarm” in Deutsches Wörterbuch von Jacob und Wilhelm Grimm, 16 vols., Leipzig 1854–1961.
- “Schwarm” in Duden online