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swath

/swɒθ/ noun

In Latin: striga Wiktionary

noun Definition from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA). Pronunciation from Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org. More about swath at Wordnik → Where our words come from →

  1. The track cut out by a scythe in mowing.
  2. A broad sweep or expanse, such as of land or of people.
    A large swath of the population is opposed to this government policy.

Origin

From Middle English swath, swathe, from Old English swæþ, swaþu (“track; trace; footstep”), from Proto-Germanic *swaþō (“a wind-swept place; open field”), of unknown further origin. Has been derived from a Proto-Indo-European *swey- (“to bend, turn, swing”), and compared with Ancient Greek σιμός (simós, “snub-nosed”) and Welsh chwil (“reeling, staggering”), though this is uncertain, as well as the Greek comparandum being unlikely. Cognate with Dutch zwade, zwad (“swath; windrow”), German Schwade (“swath; windrow”), Icelandic svæði (“area; zone; sector; region”).

From Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org (CC BY-SA)