Swelt
/swɛlt/noun
To die or perish, especially in archaic or dialectal English.
Did you know?Swelt belongs to an old Germanic family of heat-and-decay words, linking the idea of wasting away with the oppressive heat later associated with “swelter.”
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*swel-
“To burn, become hot, or swell; a reconstructed root associated with heat and expansion.”
Proto-Germanic
PGmc
*sweltaną
“To die, perish, or waste away.”
Old English
Old English
sweltan
“To die or perish.”
Middle English
Middle English
swelten
“To die, perish, or waste away.”
Modern English
English
swelt
“To die; chiefly archaic, poetic, or dialectal.”