swearing (English)

Where does "swearing" come from?

The English noun 'swearing' descends from Middle English 'sweryng'[1], which was formed from the verb 'sweren' combined with the suffix '-ynge'[2]. The verb itself traces back through Old English 'swerian' and Proto-West Germanic '*swarjan' to Proto-Germanic '*swarjaną'[3][4], with ultimate roots in Proto-Indo-European '*swer-' meaning 'to protect, to guard' or 'to resound loudly, swear'[4][5].

Open questions

The ultimate Proto-Indo-European root has competing proposed meanings involving protection or loud resounding. [4] [5]
The Proto-Germanic and Proto-West Germanic forms are reconstructed ancestral stages. [3] [4] [5] [6]

Full etymology tree

swearing (English), 'The act of swearing, or making an oath.'
- derived sweryng (Middle English), 'The admission or reception of an oath or promise.'
  - inherited sweren (Middle English), 'To lay the foundation for a religion.'
    - inherited swerian (Old English), 'to swear (an oath or a promise)'
      - inherited *swarjan (Proto-West Germanic), 'to swear'
        inherited *swarjaną (Proto-Germanic), 'to swear (an oath)'
        inherited *swer- (Proto-Indo-European), 'to ache'
- suffix -ynge (Middle English), 'Forms gerunds or verbal nouns from verbs, usually referring to an action, but also in the following extended senses:'

Ancestors

sweryng (Middle English)

Descendants and derived words

hard swearing (English)
swearing contest (English)
swearing-in (English)

Sources

Updated September 2026

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Etymology data from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0 · About Miraris