swarmen

Low German

Etymology

From the noun Swarm. Related to Dutch zwermen and German schwärmen.

Verb

swarmen (past swarm, past participle swarmt, auxiliary verb hebben)

1. to swarm

Conjugation

Conjugation of swarmen (weak verb)

infinitive	swarmen
indicative	present	preterite
1st person singular	swarm	swarm
2nd person singular	swarms(t)	swarms(t)
3rd person singular	swarm(t)	swarm
plural	swarmt, swarmen	swarmen
imperative	present	—
singular	swarm(e)
plural	swarmt
participle	present	past
	swarmen	(e)swarmt, geswarmt
Note: This conjugation is one of many; neither its grammar nor spelling apply to all dialects.

Middle English

Alternative forms

• swermen, swarmyn

Etymology

From Old English swierman, from Proto-Germanic *swarmijaną; equivalent to swarm +‎ -en (infinitival suffix).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈswarmən/, /ˈswɛrmən/

Verb

swarmen

1. To swarm; to move around in a large group.
   • a. 1400, Geoffrey Chaucer, “The Summoner's Tale”, in The Canterbury Tales, lines 1693–1696:

     Right so as bees out swarmen from an hyve, / Out of the develes ers ther gonne dryve / Twenty thousand freres on a route / And thurghout helle swarmed al aboute...

     Just like bees swarm from a hive / Out of the devil's arse there were driven / Twenty thousand friars on a rout / And throughout hell they swarmed all about...

2. (rare) To be present in great quantity.

Conjugation

Conjugation of swarmen (weak in -ed)

infinitive	(to) swarmen, swarme
	present tense	past tense
1st-person singular	swarme	swarmed
2nd-person singular	swarmest	swarmedest
3rd-person singular	swarmeth	swarmed
subjunctive singular	swarme
imperative singular		—
plural1	swarmen, swarme	swarmeden, swarmede
imperative plural	swarmeth, swarme	—
participles	swarmynge, swarmende	swarmed, yswarmed

¹Sometimes used as a formal 2nd-person singular.

Descendants

• English: swarm
• Scots: swairm

References

• “swarmen, v.”, in MED Online, Ann Arbor, Mich.: University of Michigan, 2007, retrieved 2018-11-25.