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Origin and history of swimmer

swimmer(n.)

late 14c., "one who swims, person or bird that swims," agent noun from swim (v.). By 1816 as "swimming appendage of an animal." Swimmist (1881) seems to have been confined to the sports pages.

also from late 14c.

Entries linking to swimmer

swim(v.)

Middle English swimmen, from Old English swimman, of a person, fish, bird, "to move in the water, float on the water, move in water by natural means of locomotion" (class III strong verb; past tense swamm, past participle swummen), from Proto-Germanic *swimjan (source also of Old Saxon and Old High German swimman, Old Norse svimma, Dutch zwemmen, German schwimmen), from PIE root *swem- "to be in motion."

The root sometimes is said to be restricted to Germanic, but according to OED possible cognates are Welsh chwyf "motion," Old Irish do-sennaim "I hunt," Lithuanian sundyti "to chase." The more common Indo-European root is *sna-.

The transitive sense of "cross by swimming" is from 1590s. Figurative phrase sink or swim is attested from early 15c. The figurative use of swim with (or against) the tide is by 1590s.

The sense of "reel or move unsteadily" is recorded by 1670s in reference to objects seen by a dizzy person; in reference to the head or brain, "be affected by dizziness, have a giddy sensation," from 1702. Compare archaic noun swim "a dizziness, swoon, trance," from Middle English swime "unconscious state," from Old English swima "unconsciousness." The notion appears to be "a swimming in the head." Chaucer has swimbel "giddy motion."

swimmeret(n.)

"swimming-foot of a crustacean; limb or appendage adapted for swimming," 1840, from swimmer (n.) + diminutive suffix -let. Related: Swimmerets.

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    snorkel
    The meaning "curved tube used by a swimmer to breathe under water" is attested by 1951....
    drive
    Old English drifan "to compel or urge to move, impel in some direction or manner; to hunt (deer), pursue; to rush against" (class I strong verb; past tense draf, past participle drifen), from Proto-Germanic *dreibanan (source also of Old Frisian driva "I lead, impel, drive (away)
    athlete
    early 15c. (Chauliac), "competitor in athletic games and contests," from Latin athleta "a wrestler, athlete, combatant in public games," from Greek athlētēs "prizefighter, contestant in the games," agent noun from athlein "to contest for a prize," which from athlos "a contest," e
    contrive
    early 14c., controve, contreve, "to invent, devise, plan;" late 14c., "to manage by a plan or scheme," from Old French controver (Modern French controuver) "to find out, contrive, imagine," from Late Latin contropare "to compare" (via a figure of speech), from an assimilated form
    fob
    1650s, "men's small waist pocket for valuables," of uncertain origin, probably related to Low German fobke "pocket," High German fuppe "pocket," "a dialectal word used in Livonia" [Klein]. Meaning "chain or ornament attached to a watch carried in the fob" is by 1888, shortened fr
    hermaphrodite
    late 14c. (harmofroditus), from Latin hermaphroditus, from Greek hermaphroditos "person partaking of the attributes of both sexes," as a proper name, the son of Hermes and Aphrodite, who, in Ovid, was loved by the nymph Salmacis so ardently that she prayed for complete union with
    negotiation
    early 15c., negotiacioun, "a dealing with people, trafficking," from Old French negociacion "business, trade," and directly from Latin negotiationem (nominative negotiatio) "business, traffic," noun of action from past participle stem of negotiari "carry on business, do business,
    ink
    "the black liquor with which men write" [Johnson], mid-13c., inke, from Old French enche, encre "dark writing fluid" (12c.), earlier enque (11c.), originally enca, from a shortening of Late Latin encaustum, from Late Greek enkauston. This is the neuter of the past-participle adje
    concrete
    late 14c., "actual, solid; particular, individual; denoting a substance," from Latin concretus "condensed, hardened, stiff, curdled, congealed, clotted," figuratively "thick; dim," literally "grown together;" past participle of concrescere "to grow together," from assimilated for
    postulate
    1530s, "nominate to a church office," from Medieval Latin postulatus, past participle of postulare "to ask, demand; claim; require," probably formed from past participle of Latin poscere "ask urgently, demand," from *posk-to-, Italic inchoative of PIE root *prek- "to ask question

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