| Definitions | | swath |
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noun
- The track cut out by a scythe in mowing.
- (context, often, figurative) A broad sweep or expanse.
- "Five days after Hurricane Katrina, large swaths of New Orleans, such as Canal Street seen here, are still submerged in water."
Etymology: Old English swíí, swathu (a "track", "trace", "scar")Corresponds to MLG and MDu swat, MHG and MNG swade, NDu swad(e), OFries swethe border.Root meaning: trace of a cut.Attested in English since 888 in its obsolete meaning of track or trace, since 1475 in its more modern usage.Cognate with German Schwaden (row of mown grass or grain).No definite cognates outside Germanic languages.- See F. Kluge, Etymologisches Wírterbuch (De Gruyter), entry Schwaden, and OED.
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