swarm
Part of speech: noun
verb
Morphological type: simple
Topics: computing
engineering
geography
geology
mathematics
natural-sciences
physical-sciences
sciences
seismology
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.
Inflected forms:
form: swarms
pos: noun
tags: plural
form: swarms
pos: verb
tags: present
singular
third-person
form: swarming
pos: verb
tags: participle
present
form: swarmed
pos: verb
tags: participle
past
form: swarmed
pos: verb
tags: past
Senses:
gloss: A large number of insects, especially when in motion or (for bees) migrating to a new colony.
pos: noun
examples: […] reſtleſs thoughts, that like a deadly ſwarm / Of Hornets arm'd […] ruſh upon me thronging,
gloss: A mass of people, animals or things in motion or turmoil.
pos: noun
examples: a swarm of meteorites
those prodigious swarms that had settled themselves in every part of it [Italy]
gloss: A group of nodes sharing the same torrent in a BitTorrent network.
pos: noun
gloss: 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.
pos: noun
examples: Earthquakes were another concern, particularly after swarms were felt in Oklahoma.
gloss: To move as a swarm.
pos: verb
tags: intransitive
examples: 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 out of the hall and drove the students back, but they were extremely gentle, saying xiexie, xiexie, thank you, thank you, and the relations seemed to be extremely good; I don't think that there is anything the authorities can do now to get them off even though they have said the square will be closed to pedestrians.
gloss: To teem, or be overrun with insects, people, etc.
pos: verb
tags: intransitive
examples: Every place swarming with soldiers.
gloss: To fill a place as a swarm.
pos: verb
tags: transitive
examples: 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 train. Their behaviour is appalling and the presence of CCTV no deterrent.
gloss: To overwhelm as by an opposing army.
pos: verb
tags: transitive
examples: 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 pulling this off... although you say "pulling it off", it's more a case of "the Japanese are the last battleship standing"; they tend to then just get swarmed by angry Fletchers[…]
gloss: To climb by gripping with arms and legs alternately.
pos: verb
examples: 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.
gloss: To breed multitudes.
pos: verb
examples: Not ſo thick ſwarm'd once the Soil / Bedropt with blood of Gorgon,
Derived words: afterswarm
aswarm
beeswarm
beswarm
dyke swarm
Dyson swarm
multiswarm
nanoswarm
subswarm
superswarm
swarm intelligence
swarm plot
swarm spore
swarmy
topswarm
outswarm
overswarm
swarmer
upswarm
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