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Swarm
Definitions
- 1 A large number of insects, especially when in motion or (for bees) migrating to a new colony.
"[…] reſtleſs thoughts, that like a deadly ſwarm / Of Hornets arm'd […] ruſh upon me thronging,"
- 2 a group of many things in the air or on the ground wordnet
- 3 A mass of people, animals or things in motion or turmoil.
"a swarm of meteorites"
- 4 a moving crowd wordnet
- 5 A group of nodes sharing the same torrent in a BitTorrent network.
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- 6 A number of small earthquakes (or other seismic events) occurring, with no clear cause, in a specific area within a relatively short space of time.
"Earthquakes were another concern, particularly after swarms were felt in Oklahoma."
- 1 To move as a swarm. intransitive
"There is an hour or two, after the passengers have embarked, which is disquieting and fussy. Mail bags, so I understand, are being put on board. Stewards, carrying cabin trunks, swarm in the corridors."
- 2 move in large numbers wordnet
- 3 To teem, or be overrun with insects, people, etc. intransitive
"Every place swarming with soldiers."
- 4 be teeming, be abuzz wordnet
- 5 To fill a place as a swarm. transitive
"All is well until Treorchy, where the platform is swamped by teenagers who have been attending an event. Around four dozen unescorted 12 to 16 year-olds swarm aboard and begin to run riot through the train. Their behaviour is appalling and the presence of CCTV no deterrent."
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- 6 To overwhelm as by an opposing army. transitive
"So, yeah. The overall conclusion of the big gunfight being that, if Yamato is able to tackle the Colorados early, then the Japanese probably have a, maybe a sixty-to-sixty-five-percent chance of pulling this off... although you say "pulling it off", it's more a case of "the Japanese are the last battleship standing"; they tend to then just get swarmed by angry Fletchers[…]"
- 7 To climb by gripping with arms and legs alternately.
"At the top was placed a piece of money, as a prize for those who could swarm up and seize it."
- 8 To breed multitudes.
"Not ſo thick ſwarm'd once the Soil / Bedropt with blood of Gorgon,"
Etymology
From Middle English swarm, from Old English swearm (“swarm, multitude”), from Proto-West Germanic *swarm, from Proto-Germanic *swarmaz (“swarm, dizziness”), from Proto-Indo-European *swer- (“to buzz, hum”). Cognate with Saterland Frisian Swoorm (“swarm”), Dutch zwerm, German Schwarm, Danish sværm, Swedish svärm, Icelandic svarmur (“tumult, swarm”), Latin susurrus (“whispering, humming”), Lithuanian surma (“a pipe”), Russian свире́ль (svirélʹ, “a pipe, reed”). The verb is from Middle English swarmen, swermen, from Old English swirman (“to swarm”), from Proto-West Germanic *swarmijan, from Proto-Germanic *swarmijaną (“to swarm”), from the noun. Cognate with Scots swairm, swerm (“to swarm”), Dutch zwermen, German schwärmen, Danish sværme, Swedish svärma.
From Middle English swarm, from Old English swearm (“swarm, multitude”), from Proto-West Germanic *swarm, from Proto-Germanic *swarmaz (“swarm, dizziness”), from Proto-Indo-European *swer- (“to buzz, hum”). Cognate with Saterland Frisian Swoorm (“swarm”), Dutch zwerm, German Schwarm, Danish sværm, Swedish svärm, Icelandic svarmur (“tumult, swarm”), Latin susurrus (“whispering, humming”), Lithuanian surma (“a pipe”), Russian свире́ль (svirélʹ, “a pipe, reed”). The verb is from Middle English swarmen, swermen, from Old English swirman (“to swarm”), from Proto-West Germanic *swarmijan, from Proto-Germanic *swarmijaną (“to swarm”), from the noun. Cognate with Scots swairm, swerm (“to swarm”), Dutch zwermen, German schwärmen, Danish sværme, Swedish svärma.
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