Swath
/swɑːθ/noun
A strip or track of land cut or mown by a single pass of a tool or machine.
Did you know?In older English, a swath was literally the path left behind by a scythe, so the word began as a visible trace of cutting before it became a general term for a broad strip or range.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Germanic
PGmc
*swaiþō
“a track, trace, or strip made by cutting or clearing”
Old English
OE
swæð
“a track or path; later, a strip of grass cut by a scythe”
Middle English
ME
swathe
“a band or strip, especially of mown grass”
Modern English
English
swath
“a broad strip or band; especially a strip cut by mowing”