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A Dictionary of the Older Scottish Tongue (up to 1700)

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First published 2001 (DOST Vol. X).
This entry has not been updated since then but may contain minor corrections and revisions.

Swim, Swoum, Sowm, v. Also: swim(m)e, swym(m, swyme, suime, suym, suimm, swem, sweime, sweem(e, sueme, swo(w)m(e, swoom(e, suowm(e, suom, soume, sowme, swm, soym. P.t. also swame, swimmed, swimed, suimd, swomet. [ME and e.m.E. swimme(n (c1175), swemme(n (c1275), swymme(n (a1300), swim (1558), p.t. swymden pl. (c1290), swumme (a1330), swam (Wyclif), swamme, swymyd (both c1400), swome (a1593), p.p. swymmyd (Wyclif), swome (a1592), swam (Shakespeare), swom (1606), swommen (1642), OE swimman, p.t. swam(m, swom, p.p. swummen, ON svimma, svamm (pl. summu), sommet.]

A. intr. 1. To swim. a. Of a person.pres. c1400 Troy-bk. ii 1753.
He … Flatterand amang the wawes … gan swym c1420 Wynt. iv 2239.
In the se He lape, and thare swymmand he Held on till his schyppis fast c1475 Wall. iv 414.
Ȝettis ar clos, the dykis depe … Thocht I wald swyme, forsuth so can nocht all 1513 Doug. v x 88 (Sm.).
Thir ȝoung childir Troiane … Als swift as dalfin fische, swymand away 1513 Doug. x v 29.
Cymodocea … with hir rycht hand can the eft casteill … gryp onon … With hir left hand craftely swymmys sche c1520-c1535 Nisbet Acts xxvii 43.
Swymm 1560 Rolland Seven S. 8422.
The chylde culd swym, and sa chancit to land(b) a1400 Leg. S. xvii 108.
He enterit in riuere faste, & swemand ay, til and mycht leste(c) 1375 Barb. iii 431.
Sum off thaim couth swome full weill c1475 Wall. x 427.
Cled in to plait off maill. Set he couth swom he trowit he mycht nocht weill 1596 Dalr. I 145/21.
Throuch stark rinning riueris thay [sc. young men] soulde swome(d) 1533 Boece 144.
Sum parte … at dede nepe and lawich flude sowmyng haistelie gat within the ile 1533 Bell. Livy II 207/3.
Mony of thame culd nocht sovme, & war sa hevy chargit with thare harnes … that thai sank doun and perist in the depe bullerand stremes 1600-1610 Melvill 17.
Teached … to rin, to loope, to swoom, to warsell c1600 Montg. Suppl. i 30.
Hope causis men in rageing see To sowme thocht thai sie no defencep.t. c1420 Wynt. iv 2242.
Twa hundyre pasys swa he past, Haldand owthe the wattyre ay Hys a hand as he swam that day c1475 Wall. ix 1183.
And our he swam; for lattyng fand he nocht 1513 Doug. vi v 127.
Huly and fair onto the cost I swam 1533 Bell. Livy I 22/23.
He swam oure the said ryver with his beistis 1537 Lynd. Depl. Magd. 43.
As Leander swame … To his fair lady Hero, mony nichtis(b) 1596 Dalr. II 17.
The Inglismen … with … all ingines and impediments … swomet all to the seyp.p. c1520-c1535 Nisbet Acts xxvii 42.
None suld eschape, quhen he had swymmit out

b. Of a fish, bird or animal. Also specif. of fish, to be present, to be found (in a particular stretch of water). a1500 Henr. Fab. 1664 (Harl.).
Luik weill the fische that swymmis in the se a1500 Henr. Fab. 2780 (Bann.).
A littill mous come till a rever syd … Scho cowth nocht sowme a1500 Henr. Fab. 2877 (Bann.).
Swyme 1494 Loutfut MS 18b.
The louetre [= otter] … sekis nocht his pra bot in watter & sowmes as the fische 1494 Loutfut MS 34a.
The perch is a fisch of mony colouris and to swom [Lindsay MS suowme] is rycht swift 1501 Doug. Pal. Hon. 2074.
All water foullis war swemand thair gude speid 1531 Bell. Boece I xxxiii.
Na fische swomis in that place c1552 Lynd. Mon. 1450.
Quhalis tumbland amang the treis, Wyld beistis swomand in the seis 1568 Skeyne Descr. Pest 26.
Swyne flesche, fowllis that swomis in vater 16… Ouchterlony in Macfarlane's Geog. Coll. II 24.
There are abundance of amphibious creatures … called sea calves who … bring furth ther young ones in the dry caves … and suck them there till they be of some bigness and strength to swime in the water 1677 Edinb. B. Rec. X 298.
Baillie Drumond hes gifted … four swans … upon designe to make a broad of swans there which will be verry pleasant to be seine sweming in the loch 1688 E. Fife Admir. Depute Ct. Bk. 28 July.
That noe beatt lay their fleitt in the sea befor four hours in the efternoon … eccept when the herring sweimes in the day light 1699 Cromartie Corr. I 135.
Salmon does not sweeme in our rivers no way wel as yet 1699 Fountainhall Decis. II 52.
If a salmond fishing were set, and it should be found that no salmon swimed within the bounds of that river set in tack [etc.] 1701 Brand Orkney & Shetl. 110.
There is no cat, neither will any stay … [but will] endeavour to sweem to the next isle

c. fig. and in fig. context. a1500 Henr. Fab. 2937.
The paddok … Is mannis bodie, swymand [Bann., swmand] air and lait In to this warld, with cairis implicate … quhylis plungit vp, quhylis doun, Ay in perrell, and reddie for to droun 1490 Irland Mir. I 82/15.
The secund flud and ryuer is the sacrament of pennaunce … And infynit vthire has suowmyt throu this … flud and ryuere to the realme of paradice 1531 Bell. Boece I vi.
So lang I swomit in her [sc. Fortune's] seis deip 1567 Sat. P. iii 54.
He swoumit in the fluidis of Poetrie 1609 Garden Garden 55.
Men howsoev'r in pleasurs seas they suom, Once shall confind be in a terrene Tomb 1611-57 Mure Early Misc. P. i 83.
I then perplex'd quhat to performe, To hazard or escheu the storme: To suime in sueatned seas 1637 Rutherford Lett. (1671) 189.
I hope to live by faith and swim without a masse or bundle of joyfull sense under my chinne 1637 Rutherford Lett. (1894) 343.
I resolve to ease myself with on-waiting on my Lord, and to let my faith swim where it loseth ground 1637 Rutherford Lett. (1894) 440.
The … deepness of His love, who sought His black wife through pain … and swimmed the salt sea for her a1658 Durham Blessedness Death (1682) 36.
Hath not the experience of mony men who did swem in pleasures and abound in wealth and honour, verified the truth of this

2. To float on the surface of a liquid; to be supported by such liquid. 1560 Rolland Seven S. 756.
Thay gar sweit licour swym aboue, and gall is at the ground 1581 Hamilton Cath. Tr. in Cath. Tr. (STS) 87/26.
Hou Elisæus the prophett causit the hauie irne by nature sueme aboue the valter a1605 Birrel Diary 30.
The chapmans standis and stuillis came sweming doune the streit a1606 Dioscoridis Annot. 8b.
Malabathrum, Anglice, a leafe of India, without anye app[a]rant root, suimming in pooles 1646 J. Hope Diary (1958) 164.
The metall … runeing out liquid by litle at the foresaid hole … the slagge suiming above c1650 Spalding II 341.
Thair wes found swyming vpone the loche … pulder rollit in ballis quhilk had bene cassin thair lest the Marques sould haue gottin the same

b. To appear to float, to be visible at the surface of liquid. 1576 Orkney Oppress. 53.
Quhilk can suld … be markit with ane plowk on ilk syde … under the mouth … quhilk plowkis is the just messor … that the ulie suld be fild to … and … it suld stand upon ane just ewin erd, and fild quhill the plowkis swome equalie and na hiear

c. fig. To swome in one's lips, to be uppermost, or continuously present, in all one says. 1558 Q. Kennedy Tractive 112.
Every man … suerand the spreit of God to repose in his breist and swome in his lyppis

d. To sink and sweem, to stand by (a person or thing), come what may. 1681 Cloud of Witnesses (1714) 113.
O Sirs, cast in your lot with the suffering remnant that this day is in the furnace. Sink and sweem with His church

e. fig. To be engulfed in or flooded with (blood). 1643 Fugitive Poetry II xx 14/30.
Strafford, … bred in broiles like a most divelish limme Had almost made Britaine in blood to swimme

3. Of a ship: To move over water. 1513 Doug. ix iii 95.
O ȝe my schippys, … Go furth and swym as goddessis of the see

b. To be conveyed over water by a boat. 1572 Sat. P. xxxi 100.
Thai wald haif wist hir swoumand Intil a bait vpon Lochlowmond, But boddum, air, or ruther

4. Of water: To flow. 1683 Reid Sc. Gard'ner (1907) 82.
Husbandmen's watering is by running plough-furrowes and trenches where needful … so as the water may gently sweem over the whole

5. To move as if over water; to glide, float. 1513 Doug. xiii Prol. 37.
Owt our the swyre swymmys the soppis of myst a1649 Drummond II 10/13.
Thus singing through the aire the angels swame

6. transf. Of a stretch of water: To abound in (fish). Cf. 1 b above. 1533 Boece 89.
Thai seyis haboundantlie sowmys in salmon a1578 Pitsc. I 337/8.
The stankis … was sowmond full of all deliecat fisches 1596 Dalr. I 23/12.
A pleasand loch swomeng full of fyne perchis

B. tr. 7. To pass or cross (a river, etc.) by swimming. Also (once) of an animal. 1513 Doug. vii viii 42.
He held doun swymmand the cleir ryver streme 1533 Boece 147.
Romanis … craftelie swowmand the fludis tuke … certane fortalicis 1533 Boece 242b.
It was force be slane, … swome the flude, or be ony vthir way pas the samyn 1533 Boece 383b.
Swowme a1538 Abell 25b.
The Albionis followit fast strikand thame downe soymin the fossis or myris quhill the nycht stoppit thame c1590 J. Stewart 180/11.
Inexpert I am to suym the sie 1649 Rec. Kirk Scotl. 572.
We suimd the river — 1667 Lamont Diary 196.
Mr. Carstairs fled, and cawsed his horse sowme the water at Largo