swathe

[ swoth, sweyth ]

/ swɒð, sweɪð /

Save This Word!

See synonyms for: swathe / swathed on Thesaurus.com

verb (used with object), swathed, swath·ing.

to wrap, bind, or swaddle with bands of some material; wrap up closely or fully.

to bandage.

to enfold or envelop, as wrappings do.

to wrap (cloth, rope, etc.) around something.

noun

a band of linen or the like in which something is wrapped; wrapping; bandage.

QUIZ

QUIZ YOURSELF ON “ITS” VS. “IT’S”!

Apostrophes can be tricky; prove you know the difference between "it’s" and "its" in this crafty quiz!

Question 1 of 8

On the farm, the feed for chicks is significantly different from the roosters’; ______ not even comparable.

it's

its

TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

Origin of swathe

before 1050; (noun) Middle English; Old English *swæth or *swath (in swathum dative plural); cf. swaddle; (v.) Middle English swathen,late Old English swathian, derivative of the noun; cognate with Old Norse svatha

Other definitions for swathe (2 of 2)

swathe²

[ swoth, sweyth ]

/ swɒð, sweɪð /

noun

swath.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2022

How to use swathe in a sentence

By then the Nazis had already annexed large swathes of Europe, and Britain was embarrassingly unprepared for war.
Putin's Useful (British) Idiots|James Bloodworth|August 15, 2014|DAILY BEAST
My guess is this will remain an African tragedy and not threaten larger geographic swathes.
What Ebola on a Plane Means for the U.S.|Kent Sepkowitz|August 7, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Brazil has been shaken by protests as huge swathes of the populace left out of the late boom took to the streets.
India’s Rupee Drops Off a Cliff|William O’Connor|August 29, 2013|DAILY BEAST
She wrapped the models' naked torsos in sheer swathes of tulle, and left prim coats open in the back to reveal frilly bloomers.
Paris Fashion Week Frenzy: Let’s Focus on Clothes|Robin Givhan|March 9, 2011|DAILY BEAST

In this a man swathes himself, somewhat as a Highlander does in his plaid, pinning it over the shoulder and leaving the arms free.
In the Wrong Paradise|Andrew Lang
It was as though they burrowed through swathes of black cotton.
Hunters Out of Space|Joseph Everidge Kelleam
The clothes lay in heavy swathes and folds over the miserable bag of bones that had once been a tall man.
The Mark Of Cain|Andrew Lang
She did ask her, gathering up long swathes of some newly unpacked white material she carried over her arm as she did so.
Gray youth|Oliver Onions
Bodies have been found in the earth without vestige of either coffin or linen swathes.
A history of art in ancient Egypt, Vol. I (of 2)|Georges Perrot

British Dictionary definitions for swathe

swathe

/ (sweɪð) /

verb (tr)

to bandage (a wound, limb, etc), esp completely

to wrap a band, garment, etc, around, esp so as to cover completely; swaddle

to envelop

noun

a bandage or wrapping

a variant spelling of swath

Derived forms of swathe

swathable or swatheable, adjective

Word Origin for swathe

Old English swathian; related to swæthel swaddling clothes, Old High German swedil, Dutch zwadel; see swaddle

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

swathe

Origin of swathe

Other definitions for swathe (2 of 2)

Words related to swathe

How to use swathe in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for swathe

Derived forms of swathe

Word Origin for swathe