Schwarm

German

Etymology

From Old High German swarm, from Proto-Germanic *swarmaz, from Proto-Indo-European *swer- (“to buzz, hum”). Compare Dutch zwerm, English swarm, Danish sværm. The sense “crush” is a backformation from the verb schwärmen; see there.

Pronunciation

IPA^(key): /ʃvaʁm/, [ʃʋaʁm], [ʃʋaɐ̯m], [ʃʋaːm]
Audio (file)

Noun

Schwarm m (genitive Schwarms or Schwarmes, plural Schwärme)

swarm of insects; flock of birds; school of fish
- 1921, Elisabeth von Heyking, Die Trommel, in Weberin Schuld, G. Grote'sche Verlagsbuchhandlung, page 8:
  Dazu zirpten unzählige Zikaden, schillernde Libellen schossen surrend durch die Luft, […], Mücken summten in Schwärmen, […]
  In addition countless cicadas chirped, iridescent dragonflies shot buzzingly through the air, […], mosquitoes hummed in swarms, […]
crush; beloved; object of one’s (unfulfilled) love

Declension

Declension of Schwarm

	singular			plural
	indef.	def.	noun	def.	noun
nominative	ein	der	Schwarm	die	Schwärme
genitive	eines	des	Schwarmes, Schwarms	der	Schwärme
dative	einem	dem	Schwarm, Schwarme¹	den	Schwärmen
accusative	einen	den	Schwarm	die	Schwärme

¹Now uncommon, see notes

Derived terms

schwärmen