/swɔɹm/, /swɔːm/
OriginFrom Middle English swarm, from Old English swearm (“swarm, multitude”), from Proto-West Germanic *swarm, from Proto-Germanic *swarmaz (“swarm, dizziness”), from Proto-Indo-European *swer- (“to buzz, hum”).
Cognate with Saterland Frisian Swoorm (“swarm”), Dutch zwerm, German Schwarm, Danish sværm, Swedish svärm, Icelandic svarmur (“tumult, swarm”), Latin susurrus (“whispering, humming”), Lithuanian surma (“a pipe”), Russian свире́ль (svirélʹ, “a pipe, reed”).
The verb is from Middle English swarmen, swermen, from Old English swirman (“to swarm”), from Proto-West Germanic *swarmijan, from Proto-Germanic *swarmijaną (“to swarm”), from the noun. Cognate with Scots swairm, swerm (“to swarm”), Dutch zwermen, German schwärmen, Danish sværme, Swedish svärma.
- A large number of insects, especially when in motion or (for bees) migrating to a new colony.
“[…] reſtleſs thoughts, that like a deadly ſwarm / Of Hornets arm'd […] ruſh upon me thronging,”
- A mass of people, animals or things in motion or turmoil.
“a swarm of meteorites”
“those prodigious swarms that had settled themselves in every part of it [Italy]”
- A group of nodes sharing the same torrent in a BitTorrent network.
- A number of small earthquakes (or other seismic events) occurring, with no clear cause, in a specific area within a relatively short space of time.
“Earthquakes were another concern, particularly after swarms were felt in Oklahoma.”
- intransitiveTo move as a swarm.
“There is an hour or two, after the passengers have embarked, which is disquieting and fussy. Mail bags, so I understand, are being put on board. Stewards, carrying cabin trunks, swarm in the corridors”
“When I was there, at about 0200 this morning [15 May], hundreds of students had swarmed up the steps of the Great Hall and sat there making political speeches. Troops were moved in, 100 or so filed ou”
- intransitiveTo teem, or be overrun with insects, people, etc.
“Every place swarming with soldiers.”
- transitiveTo fill a place as a swarm.
“All is well until Treorchy, where the platform is swamped by teenagers who have been attending an event. Around four dozen unescorted 12 to 16 year-olds swarm aboard and begin to run riot through the ”
- transitiveTo overwhelm as by an opposing army.
“So, yeah. The overall conclusion of the big gunfight being that, if Yamato is able to tackle the Colorados early, then the Japanese probably have a, maybe a sixty-to-sixty-five-percent chance of pulli”
- To climb by gripping with arms and legs alternately.
“At the top was placed a piece of money, as a prize for those who could swarm up and seize it.”
“She called out, and a boy came running along. He swarmed up a tree, and presently threw down a ripe nut. Ata pierced a hole in it, and the doctor took a long, refreshing draught.”
- To breed multitudes.
“Not ſo thick ſwarm'd once the Soil / Bedropt with blood of Gorgon,”
Formsswarms(plural) · swarms(present, singular, third-person) · swarming(participle, present) · swarmed(participle, past) · swarmed(past)