different between swarm vs crew

English

Etymology

From Middle English swarm, from Old English swearm (“swarm, multitude”), 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 ???????? (svirél?, “a pipe, reed”).

The verb is from Middle English swarmen, swermen, from Old English swierman (“to swarm”), from Proto-Germanic *swarmijan? (“to swarm”), from the noun. Cognate with Scots swairm, swerm (“to swarm”), Dutch zwermen, German schwärmen, Danish sværme, Swedish svärma.

Pronunciation

• (General American) IPA^(key): /sw??m/
• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /sw??m/
• Rhymes: -??(?)m

Noun

swarm (plural swarms)

1. A large number of insects, especially when in motion or (for bees) migrating to a new colony.
2. A mass of people, animals or things in motion or turmoil.

   a swarm of meteorites

   • those prodigious swarms that had settled themselves in every part of it [Italy]

3. (computing) A group of nodes sharing the same torrent in a BitTorrent network.

Derived terms

• aswarm

Translations

Verb

swarm (third-person singular simple present swarms, present participle swarming, simple past and past participle swarmed)

1. (intransitive) To move as a swarm.
2. (intransitive) To teem, or be overrun with insects, people, etc.

   • Every place swarming with soldiers.

3. (transitive) To fill a place as a swarm.
4. (transitive) To overwhelm as by an opposing army.
5. To climb by gripping with arms and legs alternately.
   • 1784, William Coxe, Travels into Poland, Russia, Sweden and Denmark

     At the top was placed a piece of money, as a prize for those who could swarm up and seize it.

   • 1919, W. Somerset Maugham, The Moon and Sixpence, chapter 55

     She called out, and a boy came running along. He swarmed up a tree, and presently threw down a ripe nut. Ata pierced a hole in it, and the doctor took a long, refreshing draught.

6. To breed multitudes.

Translations

See also

• Appendix:English collective nouns

Anagrams

• warms

Middle English

Alternative forms

• swrame, swarme

Etymology

From Old English swearm, from Proto-Germanic *swarmaz.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /swarm/, /sw?rm/

Noun

swarm (plural swarmes)

1. A swarm (large, moving group of bees)
2. (rare) A large group of people.

Derived terms

• swarmen

Descendants

• English: swarm
• Scots: swairm

References

• “swarm, n.”, in MED Online, Ann Arbor, Mich.: University of Michigan, 2007, retrieved 2018-11-24.

English

Pronunciation

• enPR: kroo?, IPA^(key): /k?u?/
• Rhymes: -u?
• Homophones: crewe, Crewe, cru

Etymology 1

From Middle English crue, from Old French creue (“an increase, recruit, military reinforcement”), the feminine past participle of creistre (“grow”), from Latin crescere (“to arise, grow”).

Noun

crew (plural crews)

1. A group of people together
   1. (obsolete) Any company of people; an assemblage; a throng.
   2. A group of people (often staff) manning and operating a large facility or piece of equipment such as a factory, ship, boat, airplane, or spacecraft.

   3. A group of people working together on a task.

   4. (art) The group of workers on a dramatic production who are not part of the cast.

   5. (informal, often derogatory) A close group of friends.

   6. (often derogatory) A set of individuals lumped together by the speaker.
      • 1861 William Weston Patton, (version of) John Brown's Body

        He captured Harper’s Ferry, with his nineteen men so few,

        And frightened "Old Virginny" till she trembled thru and thru;

        They hung him for a traitor, they themselves the traitor crew,

        But his soul is marching on.
   7. (Scouting) A group of Rovers.
   8. (slang, hip-hop) A hip-hop group
   9. (rowing) A rowing team manning a single shell.
2. A person in a crew
   1. (plural: crew) A member of the crew of a vessel or plant.

   2. (art, plural: crew) A worker on a dramatic production who is not part of the cast.

   3. (nautical, plural: crew) A member of a ship's company who is not an officer.

3. (sports, rowing, US, uncountable) The sport of competitive rowing.
   • 1973, University of Virginia Undergraduate Record

     The University of Virginia belongs to the Atlantic Coast Conference and competes interscholastically in basketball, baseball, crew, cross country, fencing, football, golf, indoor track, lacrosse, polo, soccer, swimming, tennis, track, and wrestling.

Synonyms

• (group manning a vessel): ship's company, all hands, complement
• (group engaged in a task): team, gang
• (non-cast dramatic personnel): staff, stagehands
• (social group): clique, gang, pack, crowd, bunch, lot (UK); posse
• (group lumped together): crowd, flock, lot, gang
• (hip-hop group): posse, band, group
• (member of a crew): crewer, member, crewmember; nautical only: sailor, seaman
• (non-officer ship worker): seaman

Derived terms

Translations

Verb

crew (third-person singular simple present crews, present participle crewing, simple past and past participle crewed)

1. (transitive and intransitive) To be a member of a vessel's crew

2. To be a member of a work or production crew

3. To supply workers or sailors for a crew
4. (nautical) To do the proper work of a sailor

5. (nautical) To take on, recruit (new) crew

Derived terms

• crewer
• uncrewed
• crew up

Translations

Etymology 2

Verb

crew

1. (Britain, archaic) simple past tense of crow (“make the characteristic sound of a rooster”).

   It was still dark when the cock crew.

Etymology 3

Probably of Brythonic origin.

Noun

crew (plural crews)

1. (Britain, dialectal) A pen for livestock such as chickens or pigs

Derived terms

• crewyard

Etymology 4

Noun

crew (plural crews)

1. The Manx shearwater.

Gallery

See also

• Appendix:Dictionary notes/crew
• Crew on Wikipedia.Wikipedia

Spanish

Noun

crew m (plural crews)

1. crew