Wordwyrt

sweep

/sˈwip/SWEEP
/sˈwip/SWEEP

Meaningmove with a broad stroke

Common meaning: clean a surface with a brush

Journey through time

  1. Aryan root · reconstructed√SWAP‘move swiftly, cast, throw, strew’No written record; from Skeat’s list of Aryan roots, no. 455, p. 746 · scan
  2. Old Englishswāpan‘move with a broad stroke’sourceB&T
  3. Middle Englishswepen‘sweep’source
  4. Englishsweep‘clean a surface with a brush’ · today

Sources & notes

Meaning: “Meaning” is the sense that emerges from the word’s roots; “Common meaning” is today’s everyday sense. Both written by us.

Pronunciation

  • UK IPA: converted from the US form by rule (unchecked). Respelling: generated.
  • No UK recording; the speaker uses your device’s en-GB voice.
  • US IPA: CMUdict (BSD-2), converted to IPA by rule. Respelling: generated.
  • No US recording; the speaker uses your device’s en-US voice.

Origin: Built on Old English swāpan ‘move with a broad stroke’.

Roots

  • swāpan Old English “move with a broad stroke”

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