To move through water by using your arms and legs, or metaphorically to move smoothly through something.
From Old English 'swimman,' related to Germanic words meaning to swoon or become dizzy. The connection is unclear but may relate to the spinning sensation of water currents.
Humans are actually terrible swimmers compared to most mammals—we lack natural instinct for it, which is why every ancient culture independently invented swimming lessons, showing that swimming is a learned skill unique to our species in its deliberateness.
Complete word intelligence in one call. Free tier — 50 lookups/day.