swarm
UK /swɔːm/ · US /swɔɹm/ noun, verb
Forms swarms swarming swarmed
- noun (collective) A large number of insects or other bugs (e.g. centipedes), especially when in motion or (for bees) migrating to a new colony.
- noun A mass of people, animals or things in motion or turmoil. “a swarm of meteorites”
- noun (computing) A group of nodes sharing the same torrent in a BitTorrent network.
- noun (seismology) 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.
- verb (intransitive) To move as a swarm.
- verb (intransitive) To teem, or be overrun with insects, people, etc.
- verb (transitive) To fill a place as a swarm.
- verb (transitive) To overwhelm as by an opposing army.
- verb To climb by gripping with arms and legs alternately.
- verb To breed multitudes.
Synonyms
Etymology
From 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.
Webster’s 1913
- verb To climb a tree, pole, or the like, by embracing it with the arms and legs alternately. See Shin. [Colloq.]
- noun A large number or mass of small animals or insects, especially when in motion. "A deadly swarm of hornets." Milton.
- noun Especially, a great number of honeybees which emigrate from a hive at once, and seek new lodgings under the direction of a queen; a like body of bees settled permanently in a hive. "A swarm of bees." Chaucer.
- verb To collect, and depart from a hive by flight in a body; --said of bees; as, bees swarm in warm, clear days in summer.
Etymology [Cf. Swerve.]
Etymology [OE. swarm, AS. swearm; akin to D. zwerm, G. schwarm, OHG. swaram, Icel. svarmr a tumult, Sw. svärm a swarm, Dan. sværm, and G. schwirren to whiz, to buzz, Skr. svar to sound, and perhaps to E. swear. *177. Cf. Swerve, Swirl.]
Sources: Wiktionary · WordNet 3.0 · Webster’s 1913 — from the Wiktionary entry “swarm”, CC BY-SA 4.0. Details