Copyright © Philip M. Parker, INSEAD. Terms of Use.
Definition: Swimming |
SwimmingAdjective1. Filled or brimming with tears; "swimming eyes"; "watery eyes"; "sorrow made the eyes of many grow liquid". 2. (heraldry) applied to a fish depicted horizontally. Noun1. The act of swimming. Source: WordNet 1.7.1 Copyright © 2001 by Princeton University. All rights reserved. |
Date "swimming" was first used in popular English literature: sometime before 1050. (references) |
| Domain | Definition |
Dream Interpretation | To dream of swimming, is an augury of success if you find no discomfort in the act. If you feel yourself going down, much dissatisfaction will present itself to you. For a young woman to dream that she is swimming with a girl friend who is an artist in swimming, foretells that she will be loved for her charming disposition, and her little love affairs will be condoned by her friends. To swim under water, foretells struggles and anxieties. Source: Ten Thousand Dreams Interpreted .... |
Industry | Felted fibre reclaimed from laundering water. Source: European Union. (references) |
Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits. | |
(From Wikipedia, the free Encyclopedia)
Swimming in general is the flotation of an object in a liquid due to its buoyancy or lift. In its more specific definition, swimming is the method by which humans (or other animals) move themselves through water. Swimming is a popular recreational activity, particularly in hot countries and in areas with natural watercourses. Swimming is also a competition sport. There are many health benefits of swimming, yet basic swimming skills and safety precautions are needed to participate in water activities.
The breaststroke.
Larger version
Swimming Purposes
Swimming and related waters ports are done for a number of purposes. Often, these purposes can overlap, and a recreational swimmer for example may also swim for health benefits.
Recreational
The most common reason for swimming is probably recreation, where the swimmer enters the water merely for enjoyment. Many swimming styles are suitable for recreational swimming. Most recreational swimmers prefer a style that keeps their head out of the water and uses an underwater arm recovery, for example Breaststroke, side stroke, or 'dog paddle'.
Swimming pools are popular venues for recreational swimming, as are beaches, lakes, swimming holes, creeks, rivers, and sometimes canals.
Competition
Competitive swimming is swimming with the goal to maximize performance, usually the speed of swimming. Competitive swimming became popular in the 19th century, and is an event at the Summer Olympic Games. There are four swimming disciplines regulated by the FINA, swum over different distances.
In addition to that there are a number of combination events in Competitive swimming.
- Freestyle places no restrictions on what action the competitors use, except during the freestyle portion of medley swimming. In practice, almost all freestyle events are swum using front crawl. Events are held at distances of 50m, 100m, 200m, 400m, 800m and 1500m.
- Butterfly events require that the swimmer's actions retain bilateral symmetry (the left side of the body has to do the same as the right).
- Breaststroke, from which the butterfly stroke evolved, places the additional restriction that the swimmer's hands must be pushed forward together from the breast and that the elbows must remain under the water. It is the slowest stroke, and events are held at distances of 50m, 100m, and 200m.
- Backstroke places no symmetry restrictions, but swimmers must lay on their back at all times except during turns to perform the stroke. Backstroke is performed, in essence, as an inversion of the crawl - competitors swing their arms back over their shoulder, alternately, and pull through under the water to provide motive power, with a flutter kick. Events are held at distances of 50m, 100m, and 200m.
Full rules are on the rules web page of FINA.
- Relay, where a number of swimmers swim sequentially. Events are held at distances of 4*50m freestyle (short 25 lane only), 4* 100m freestyle and 4*200m freestyle.
- Individual Medley, were one swimmer swims Butterfly, Backstroke, Breaststroke, and Freestyle in this order. Events are held at distances of 100m (short 25m lane only), 200m, and 400m.
- Medley Relay, were four swimmer swim Backstroke, Breaststroke, Butterfly, and Freestyle in this order. Events are held at distances of 4*50m medley (short 25 lane only) and 4* 100m medley.
Competitive swimming has traditionally been dominated by the United States, but recently that dominance has been challenged by Australia , where swimming is a hugely popular recreational activity, and participant and spectator sport. The success of Australian swimmers like Ian Thorpe and Kieren Perkins is reminiscent of Australia's previous golden age of swimming in the 1950s and 1960s, which saw the emergence of swimmers such as Shane Gould and Dawn Fraser.
There are also a number of other Competitive swimming performances, for example a long distance 5 kilometer open-water event, which became part of the Olympic program in 2000, or long distance swims across the English Channel, or circumnavigating Manhattan Island. The world record for the longest nonstop swim is held by Martin Strel for swimming 504km nonstop in 2001 in the Danube River. He also swam the Mississippi River in 2002 in 66+2days, a total of 3885km.
Swimming is also a crucial part of other sports, such as water polo, synchronized swimming and triathlon. (See List of water sports)
Rescue
Swimming is also used for rescue to avoid Drowning. Most of the time this will be self rescue, where a person involuntarily enters the water and swims to stay afloat or to reach safety.
In addition to self rescue, swimming is also used to rescue other swimmers in distress. There are a number of specialized swimming styles specially for the purpose of rescuing swimmers in distress (see List of swimming styles). Such techniques are studied for example by lifeguards, or members of the Coast Guard. The training of these techniques also evolved into competitions, as for example surf lifesaving.
Others
A number of people enter the water and swim as part of their work. For example, Abalone divers or pearl divers swim and dive to obtain an economic benefit, as do spear fishermen.
Swimming is also done to advance the sciences. Naturally, swimming is studied to improve the swimming performances of Competitive swimmers. But swimming and diving is also often used in Marine biology to observe plants and animals in their natural habitat. Other sciences may also use swimming. Konrad Lorenz for example swam with geese as part of his studies of animal behavior.
Often, swimming is used merely as a way to move between locations. Nowadays, bridges and ferries are used most of the time, but there are occasions where swimming is used to move between locations, for example for crossing rivers or accessing islands. Cargo may be carried on the swimmer or pulled, possibly on a flotation device, during the swim. Military troops use swimming to cross waters.
Swimming also has military purposes besides the mere need to cross waters. A swimmer in the water or under the water can be difficult to detect, especially at night. Military swimming is usually done by Special forces, as for example Navy SEALS. Swimming is used to approach a location, gather intelligence, sabotage, or combat, and to depart a location. This may also include airborne insertion into water or leaving a submerged Submarine through a hatch or the torpedo tubes. Special equipment and techniques are also used to engage hostiles in and under water.
Swimming is also done for health purposes, as for example rehabilitation after injuries.
Technique
The human body, being composed mostly of water, has nearly the same density as water. Thus, staying afloat requires only a slight propelling of water downward relative to the body, and transverse motion only a slight propelling of water in a direction opposite to the direction of motion, due to generally low hydrodynamic drag. This propelling is typically accomplished by cupping the hands and using them as paddles, and by kicking the legs to push water away from the body.
With practice, technique can convert a slow or average swimmer to at least a moderately fast swimmer. Since speed converts directly into distance, the same techniques that improve speed also aid one to move farther with the same effort.
The torso and the legs should be kept as much as possible parallel to the surface of the water. Drooped legs or a slanted torso dramatically increase drag.
Try to have a pointed hand above the head, pointed forward as much as possible. This increases the average length at the water-line, substantially increasing speed. This is an effect long used by boat designers, and unconsciously used by "naturally good swimmers."
Try to maximize the time spent on the side because the torso is smaller front-to-back than side-to-side on most swimmers. This reduces the frontal cross-section, reducing drag further, and also increasing the ratio between the bodies water-line-length and width. Similar improvements are possible by orienting the narrowest direction of head, hands, legs and arms into the water. The torso is by far the most critical.
The motion of the hand, arm, and leg from back to the front should be in the air as much as possible, and in the water, oriented as perfectly as possible, because the returning appendage has to move at least twice as fast as the swimmer, and in the water generates eight times the drag (drag increases with the cube of the speed) of an equal amount of torso frontal area.
The basic "catch" of the water is not nearly as critical as the above items. Most swimmers simply grab water with their hand flat, or the fingers slightly spread, and then draw it smoothly down their body.
Note that none of the above techniques require improved strength. With strength training, the hands and feet can be extended further into the water, gaining more propulsion. For improvers, increased strength brings only small improvements if the above strategies (minimise drag and lengthen water-line) are not optimal.
Clothing
The desire or cultural demand of modesty together with the awkwardness or unsuitability of conventional clothing in the water led to the development of the swimsuit (and in Victorian times, the bathing machine).
Nude swimming is done:
- at nudist areas
- during nudist hours in some swimming pools
- in Denmark, a customary practice
- at (usually small) swimming pools in saunas
- without being formally allowed, at quiet places and hours; also called skinny dipping
- at private swimming pools and beaches, not visible for outsiders
Swimming and health
Swimming is a good form of exercise. Because the density of the human body is approximately similar to water, the body is supported by the water and less stress is therefore placed on joints and bones. Furthermore, the resistance against movement depends heavily on the speed of the movement, allowing the fine tuning of the exercise according to ones ability. Therefore, swimming is frequently used as an exercise in rehabilitation after injuries or for the disabled.
Swimming exercises almost all muscles in the body. Usually, the arms and upper body are exercised more than the legs, as most forward motion is generated by the arms. In competitive swimming, excessive leg muscles can be seen as a disadvantage as they consume more oxygen, which would be needed for the muscles of the arms. However, this depends very much on the swimming style. While breaststroke generates significant movement with the legs, front crawl propels the body mainly with the arms.
Swimming is an aerobic exercise due to the relatively long exercise times, requiring a constant oxygen supply to the muscles, except for short sprints where the muscles work anaerobically. While aerobic exercises usually burn fat and help with loosing weight, this effect is limited in swimming for two reasons. First, water cools the body much faster than air, and therefore the body aims to maintain a layer of fat under the skin for insulation. Secondly, in exercise many calories are burnt due to the increased body temperature (see: Perspiration). However, during swimming the body is cooled down almost instantly as the surrounding water is usually cooler than the body temperature, reducing the number of calories burnt.
Swimming is considered a sport with a low risk of injury. Nevertheless there are some health risks with swimming. Most lethal risks in swimming are due to the inability to swim. It is recommended to swim in an area supervised by lifeguards and to paying attention to the water conditions. Possible health risks range from lethal to minor inconveniences. Below is a list of these risks, ranging from potentially lethal to minor temporary inconveniences.
- Drowning can cause injury or death.
- Drowning due to adverse water conditions which may force the body under water or force water into the body.
- Drowning due to negative buoyancy, for example due to being attached to items heavier than water, e.g. medieval armour or a concrete block around the feet, or being trapped in an item heavier than water, e.g. a sinking ship.
- Drowning due to outside influence, as for example being pushed under water by another person by accident or intentionally.
- Drowning can also be caused by the inability to swim due to exhaustion or unconsciousness or a combination thereof. Besides other health risks listed below this may be due to effects unrelated to swimming as for example heart attacks and other strokes.
- Risks due to the effect of water on the human body.
- Secondary drowning, where inhaled salt water in the lungs after a near drowning starts to create a foam in the lungs that restricts breathing.
- Thermal shock after jumping into water can cause the heart to stop.
- Spending time in the water can give a wrinkled skin on the fingers, palms of the hands, and the soles of the feet. This disappears quickly without any negative effect.
- Injuries may heal slower if submerged in water.
- Risks due to chemicals in the water.
- In chlorinated swimming pools the chlorine may burn in the eyes. This stops shortly after leaving the water. Other disinfection techniques using, for example, ozone can avoid this effect.
- Breathing small quantities of chlorine from the water surface during swimming repeatedly for long periods of time, as for example in the case of competitive swimmers, can face adverse effects on the lungs.
- Chlorine also has a negative cosmetic effect on hair after repeated long exposure.
- Risks due to bacteria, fungi and viruses in the water. Water is an excellent environment for many bacteria, which may affect humans. The risk and severity of infection vary with the water quality. A selection of more common infections related to swimming are:
- Swimming and showering can cause athlete's foot (boat bug). The easiest way to avoid this is drying the space between the toes after swimming.
- Swimming can cause ear infections in the ear canal (Otitis externa).
- Cases of Legionnaires' disease have been transmitted by improper sterilized showers after swimming. Good swimming facilities heat the shower water to 60 C once per week during closing time to disinfect the water system.
- There is no known case of transmission of AIDS through the water, nor is there a known case of pregnancy due to sperm transported through the water while swimming.
- Risks due to physical activity in the water specific to swimming.
- Competitive swimmers may have a health risk due to overuse. Butterfly swimmers for example may develop some back pain after long years of training, breaststroke swimmers may develop knee pain, and front crawl and backstroke swimmers may develop shoulder pain.
- Long term swimmers may occasionally get some abnormal growth in the ear canal due to the frequent water splashing of water in the ear canal.
- Shallow water blackout is a condition where holding the breath causes a sudden unconsciousness due to oxygen starvation.
- Exhaustion due to long swims or bad physical shape can cause drowning.
- Risks due to water and weather conditions.
- An outdoor swimmer can be hit by lightning during a thunderstorm. Lightning will usually hit the highest point available, as for example the head of a swimmer on a flat water surface.
- Strong winds can cause waves and can blow a swimmer away from land.
- Hypothermia due to cold water can cause rapid exhaustion and unconsciousness depending on the water temperature and the body conditions.
- Currents, including tides and rivers can cause exhaustion and can move a swimmer away from safety or pull swimmers under water.
- Due to the reflections in the water, the effect of the sun is more severe than on land, causing sunburn. Furthermore, swimming is usually done wile exposing most of the body to sunlight, especially some areas usually covered (around the rims of the bathing suit) or in the shade (the back of the knees). In the long term this may increase the risk of cancer and decrease the aesthetics of the skin.
- Risks due to other objects in the water.
- A collision with another swimmer or other object as for example the wall of a pool, rocks, and boats, especially the propellers thereof, may result in injuries. Severe injuries are possible after hitting an object while diving into the water. Injuries can also be caused by stepping on sharp objects, e.g. broken glass.
- Dangerous marine life can attack swimmers in self defense or for prey, often in combination with a poison.
- Marine life that sting, e.g. jellyfish and some corals.
- Marine life that pierce, e.g. sea urchins.
- Marine life that bites, e.g. sharks and other fish, snakes, or lobster and crabs.
History
Main article: History of swimmingSwimming has been known since prehistoric times. Drawings from the stone age were found in "the cave of swimmers" near Wadi Sora (or Sura) in the southwestern part of Egypt. Written references date back up to 2000 B.C, including Gilgamesh, the Iliad, the Odyssey, the Bible (Ezekiel 47:5, Acts 27:42, Isaiah 25:11), Beowulf, and other sagas. In 1538 Nicolas Wynman, German professor of languages, wrote the first swimming book "Colymbetes". Competitive swimming in Europe started around 1800, mostly using breaststroke. The front crawl, then called the trudgen was intruduced in 1873 by John Arthur Trudgen, copying it from native americans. Swimming was part of the first modern Olympic games in 1896 in Athens. In 1902 the trudgen was improved by Richard Cavill, using the flutter kick. In 1908, the world swimming association Federation Internationale de Natation de Amateur (FINA) was formed. Butterfly was first a variant of Breaststroke, until it was accepted as a separate style in 1952.
See also
- List of water sports
- List of swimming styles
- Sport
External link
DISCLAIMER
- Federation Internationale de la Natation competitive swimming's governing body.
- Please remember that Wikipedia is offered for informational use only. The information is in most cases not reviewed by professionals. You are advised to contact your doctor for health-related decisions.
Source: adapted by the editor from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia under a copyleft GNU Free Documentation License (GFDL) from the article "Swimming."
(From Wikipedia, the free Encyclopedia)
At the 1896 Summer Olympics, four swimming events were contested.
Pos Athlete 1 Alfréd Hajós (HUN) 2 Otto Herschmann (AUT) 3 unknown
Pos Athlete 1 Paul Neumann (AUT) 2 Antonios Pepanos (GRE) 3 Evstathios Khorafas (GRE)
Pos Athlete 1 Alfréd Hajós (HUN) 2 Ioannis Andreou (GRE) 3 unknown
100 m freestyle for sailors, Men
Pos Athlete 1 Ioannis Malokinis (GRE) 2 Spiridon Khazapis (GRE) 3 Dimitrios Drivas (GRE) Source: adapted by the editor from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia under a copyleft GNU Free Documentation License (GFDL) from the article "Swimming at the 1896 Summer Olympics."
(From Wikipedia, the free Encyclopedia)
At the 1900 Summer Olympics, seven swimming events were contested.
Pos Athlete 1 Frederick Lane (AUS) 2 Zoltán Halmay (HUN) 3 Karl Ruberl (AUT)
Pos Athlete 1 John Jarvis (GBR) 2 Otto Wahle (AUT) 3 Zoltán Halmay (HUN)
Pos Athlete 1 John Jarvis (GBR) 2 Zoltán Halmay (HUN) 3 Louis Martin (FRA)
Pos Athlete 1 Ernst Hoppenberg (GER) 2 Karl Ruberl (AUT) 3 Johannes Drost (NED)
Pos Athlete 1 Deutscher Schwimm Verband Berlin, Germany (GER) Ernst Hoppenberg, Max Hainle, Julius Frey, Max Schöne, Herbert von Petersdorff 2 Tritons Lillois (FRA) Maurice Hochepied, Victor Hochepied, Bertrand, Verbecke, Victor Cadet 3 Pupilles de Neptune de Lille (FRA) Tartara, Louis Martin, Désiré Merchez, Jean Leuilleux, P. Houben
Pos Athlete 1 Frederick Lane (AUS) 2 Otto Wahle (AUT) 3 Peter Kemp (GBR)
Pos Athlete 1 Charles de Vendeville (FRA) 2 André Six (FRA) 3 Peder Lykkeberg (DEN) Source: adapted by the editor from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia under a copyleft GNU Free Documentation License (GFDL) from the article "Swimming at the 1900 Summer Olympics."
(From Wikipedia, the free Encyclopedia)
At the 1904 Summer Olympics, nine swimming events were contested.
Pos Athlete 1 Zoltán Halmay (HUN) 2 Scott Leary (USA) 3 Charles Daniels (USA)
Pos Athlete 1 Zoltán Halmay (HUN) 2 Charles Daniels (USA) 3 Scott Leary (USA)
Pos Athlete 1 Charles Daniels (USA) 2 Francis Gailey (USA) 3 Emil Rausch (GER)
Pos Athlete 1 Charles Daniels (USA) 2 Francis Gailey (USA) 3 Otto Wahle (AUT)
Pos Athlete 1 Emil Rausch (GER) 2 Francis Gailey (USA) 3 Géza Kiss (HUN)
Pos Athlete 1 Emil Rausch (GER) 2 Géza Kiss (HUN) 3 Francis Gailey (USA)
Pos Athlete 1 Walter Brack (GER) 2 Georg Hoffmann (GER) 3 Georg Zacharias (GER)
Pos Athlete 1 Georg Zacharias (GER) 2 Walter Brack (GER) 3 Jamison Handy (USA)
4 x 50 yds Freestyle Relay, Men
Pos Athlete 1 New York Athletic Club 1 (USA) Joseph Ruddy, Leo Goodwin, Louis Handley, Charles Daniels 2 Chicago Athletic Association (USA) David Hammond, William Tuttle, Hugo Goetz, Raymond Thorne 3 Missouri Athletic Club (USA) Amedee Reyburn, Gwynne Evans, Marquard Schwarz, William Orthwein Source: adapted by the editor from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia under a copyleft GNU Free Documentation License (GFDL) from the article "Swimming at the 1904 Summer Olympics."
Synonyms: SwimmingSynonyms: liquid (adj), naiant (adj), watery (adj), swim (n). (additional references) |
| Context | Synonyms within Context (source: adapted from Roget's Thesaurus). |
Gaseity | Gasmeter, gasometer; air bladder, swimming bladder, sound (of a fish). |
Insanity | Vertigo, dizziness, swimming; sunstroke, coup de soleil, siriasis. |
Lamentation | Phrase: tears standing in the eyes, tears starting from the eyes; eyes suffused, eyes swimming, eyes brimming, eyes overflowing with tears; "if you have tears prepare to shed them now"; interdum lacrymae pondera vocis habent; "strangled his language in his tears"; "tears such as angels weep". |
Navigation | Natation, swimming; fin, flipper, fish's tail. |
Refuge | Means of escape; (escape) lifeboat, lifejacket, life buoy, swimming belt, cork jacket; parachute, plank, steppingstone; emergency landing. |
| Source: adapted from Roget's Thesaurus. | |
| Domain | Usage | |
Screenplays | Just because you're a big movie star, wild parties, swimming pools, you expect every girl to fall in a dead faint at your feet (Singin' in the Rain; writing credit: Betty Comden; Adolph Green) Swimming in pool is nice and cool, so juicy sweet (The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers; writing credit: Frances Walsh) Maybe it's your old swimming hole, General (Wild Wild West; writing credit: Jim Thomas; John Thomas) I had my swimming pool dug by an International Projects steam shovel (The Solid Gold Cadillac; writing credit: Abe Burrows; George S. Kaufman) Just keep swimming, swimming, what do we do (Finding Nemo; writing credit: Andrew Stanton) | |
Lyrics | Then you’d better start swimming or you’ll sink like a stone ("The Times They Are A-Changin'"; performing artist: Bob Dylan) And now you're swimming for the shore (I'll Be There For You; performing artist: Bon Jovi) Can be likened to a deep sea diver who is swimming with a raincoat (I Want You; performing artist: Savage Garden) I've been swimming in a sea of anarchy (Everyday is a Winding Road; performing artist: Sheryl Crow) On rainy days, swimming in the sound (Electrical Storm; performing artist: U2) | |
Clever | It is difficult to "go with the flow" when you are swimming upstream. (references; author: unknown) Isn't having a smoking section in a restaurant like having a peeing section in a swimming pool? (references; author: unknown) | |
Movie/TV Titles | Let's Go Swimming (1948) Ornamental Swimming (1937) The Swimming Party (1912) When Scotch Soldier Laddies Went in Swimming Soldiers Three; or (1911) | |
Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits. | ||
| Domain | Title | ||
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Periodicals |
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Theater & Movies | |||
Music |
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Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits. | |||
| Thumbnail | Description & Credit | Thumbnail | Description & Credit |
 | A 10 year-old white girl is pictured here with her father in a swimming pool. She was diagnosed at age three with a form of Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia (ALL) that did not respond to therapy. She is presently in long-term remission after an experimental bone marrow transplant was performed. She now suffers from chronic GVH (Graft Versus Host Disease) which is rare. Credit: Linda Bartlett (photographer). |  | Pictured are various children playing on a homemade raft and with a rubber innertube, used as a float. They are playing in a swimming pond, in a rural setting on a summer day. These children are members of a larger Mormon family who are presently being studied for their low cancer death rate. Credit: Linda Bartlett (photographer). |
 | Boy diving into swimming pool. Exercise, recreation. Credit: CDC. |  | "Swimming Sphere Worm" (movie) by Brandon Enright. |
 | Overhead view taken from helicopter of swimming polar bear - Ursus maritimus. Credit: NOAA's Ark (Animals). |  | Pantropical spotted dolphin swimming ahead of the NOAA Ship RUDE Stenella attenuata. Credit: NOAA's Ark (Animals). |
 | Swimming the horses across the Salmon River Reconnaissance party of Oscar Risvold. Credit: Coast & Geodetic Survey Historical Image Collection. |  | Polar bear swimming in Norwegian Sea Taken by cooperative observer with Norwegian Hydrographic Office. Credit: Coast & Geodetic Survey Historical Image Collection. |
 | Hammerhead shark passing bow of ALBATROSS IV while ship underway Apparently a hammerhead migration as ship saw hundreds of hammerheads swimming to northeast during the day. Credit: Paths Less Taken - NOAA at the Ends of the Earth. |  | Emperor penguin swimming. Credit: Paths Less Taken - NOAA at the Ends of the Earth. |
Source: pictures compiled by the editor from various references; see picture credits. | |||
 |  |
| "Ducks swimming" by Grzegorz Woźniak Commentary: "Some ducks swimming." | "Bird swimming" by Andrew J. Whale (Syntaxica) Commentary: "Bird swimming on a moat in Wells." |
Source: photographs selected by the editor, with permission from the photographers. | |
| Title | Author | Quote |
Sylvie and Bruno Concluded | Carroll, Lewis | You would consider swimming to be a very safe amusement, if you scarcely ever heard of any one dying of it. |
Les Miserables | Hugo, Victor | He felt as though he was swimming in the deep blue sky. |
Source: compiled by the editor from various references. | ||
| Subject | Topic | Quote |
Health | Avoid swallowing lake or pool water while swimming. (references) | |
Recreational exposures can include rafting, kayaking, and swimming. (references) | ||
Do not attract birds by feeding them to areas where people are swimming. (references) | ||
Business | End-users that regularly exercise at gyms expect to have different alternatives available, such as swimming or bodybuilding. (references) | |
Solar heating equipment is generally used to provide heating or pre-heating for commercial or domestic buildings to supplement other heating sources, such as for swimming pools. (references) | ||
The other marinas have premises with a combined design to satisfy the needs of the different size vessels, a club house, swimming pool, gas station, shipyard for basic maintenance and a complete network of services to provide for the needs of a population of 350 vessels. (references) | ||
Civil Liberties | Comoros | There continued to be reports during the year that persons fled Grand Comore and Anjouan for Mayotte; many of these persons reportedly drowned when they attempted to reach Mayotte on rafts or by swimming. (references) |
Kuwait | During the year, state-owned Kuwait-TV broadcast women's gymnastics and swimming events from the 2000 Sidney Olympics that had been censored on the state-owned local television at the time the events originally had taken place because an Islamist National Assembly member criticized them as pornographic. (references) | |
Economic History | Netherlands | Next to this system, larger systems exist which are in use in public buildings such as swimming pools and institutions for the elderly. (references) |
Minorities | Slovak Republic | In urban areas in the east, incidents of Roma being denied admission to certain hotels, restaurants, and swimming facilities were reported widely. (references) |
Yugoslavia | For example, in Sabac, in western Serbia, Roma were barred from using a municipal swimming pool that is owned by the president of the local branch of the Serbian Radical Party. (references) | |
Travel | Chad | Sports and Activities: Hotels permit non-guests to use their swimming pools for a small fee. (references) |
Source: compiled by the editor from ICON Group International, Inc.; see credits. | ||
| Speaker | Phrase(s) |
Andy Rooney | Let me begin tonight by saying, as nice and sweet as I know how, that I thought last Tuesday's debate between Al Gore and George Bush stank. It was about as exciting as synchronized swimming at the Olympics. |
Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits. | |
| "Swimming" is generally used as a lexical verb (-ing form) -- approximately 48.24% of the time. "Swimming" is used about 1,476 times out of a sample of 100 million words spoken or written in English. Its rank is based on over 700,000 words used in the English language. Some parts-of-speech are not covered due to the samples used by the British National Corpus. (note: percents less than one-hundredth of one percent have been omitted) |
| Parts of Speech | Percent | Usage per 100 Million Words | Rank in English |
| Lexical Verb (-ing form) | 48.24% | 712 | 9,427 |
| Noun (singular) | 29.63% | 438 | 13,172 |
| Adjective (general or positive) | 18.27% | 270 | 17,892 |
| Noun (proper) | 3.79% | 56 | 45,296 |
| Noun (common) | 0.07% | 1 | 339,140 |
| Total | 100.00% | 1,476 | N/A |
Source: compiled by the editor from several corpora; see credits.
| The following table summarizes names derived from the word "swimming". | |||
| Name | Gender | Language | Meaning |
| Shuah | N/A | Biblical | Swimming |
| Source: compiled by the editor from various references.
| |||
Expressions using "swimming": crossing by swimming ♦ fin swimming ♦ free style swimming ♦ go swimming ♦ Great Swimming Dragon ta'i chi form ♦ heat in swimming ♦ indoor swimming pool ♦ my head is swimming ♦ race in swimming ♦ relay swimming ♦ swimming across ♦ swimming bath ♦ swimming baths ♦ swimming bell ♦ swimming bladder ♦ swimming cap ♦ swimming contest ♦ swimming costume ♦ swimming crab ♦ swimming event ♦ swimming hole ♦ swimming instructor ♦ swimming kick ♦ swimming meet ♦ swimming of the head ♦ swimming pool ♦ swimming pool filter ♦ swimming race ♦ swimming school ♦ swimming stroke ♦ swimming suit ♦ swimming trunks ♦ synchronized swimming. Additional references. | |
| Hyphenated Usage | |
Beginning with "swimming": swimming-bath, swimming-baths, swimming-cap, swimming-club, swimming-floating, swimming-pool, swimming-pools, swimming-shorts, swimming-slip, swimming-trunks, swimming-wise. | |
Ending with "swimming": fast-swimming. | |
Containing "swimming": mini-swimming-pool. | |
| Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits. | |
| The following statistics estimate the number of searches per day across the major English-language search engines as identified by various trade publications. Hyperlinks lead to commercial use of the expression at Amazon.com. |
| Expression | Frequency per Day | Expression | Frequency per Day |
swimming pool | 19,308 | boy swimming | 420 |
swimming | 7,627 | nude swimming | 411 |
above ground swimming pool | 2,772 | swimming pool slide | 402 |
swimming pool supply | 1,948 | swimming pool chemical | 389 |
swimming pool accessory | 1,414 | swimming pool care | 357 |
swimming pool toy | 1,411 | swimming pool part | 352 |
inground swimming pool | 1,195 | swimming pool game | 310 |
swimming pool liner | 1,066 | intex swimming pool | 303 |
swimming pool design | 906 | usa swimming | 275 |
swimming trophy | 812 | kid swimming | 274 |
fiberglass swimming pool | 732 | swimming goggles | 272 |
swimming pool heater | 692 | swimming pool repair | 270 |
swimming pool filter | 675 | inflatable swimming pool | 266 |
swimming pool cover | 614 | swimming pool sale | 263 |
swimming pool pump | 569 | girl swimming | 253 |
swimming pool maintenance | 555 | swimming pool picture | 249 |
swimming pool equipment | 538 | in ground swimming pool | 243 |
swimming lesson | 530 | swimming picture | 217 |
dolphin swimming | 500 | swimming pool deck | 206 |
swimming pool spa | 450 | swimming technique | 191 |
| Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits. | |||
| Language | Translations for "swimming"; alternative meanings/domain in parentheses. | |
Afrikaans | swembad (pool, swimming-bath, swimming-pool). (various references) | |
Albanian | notim (flotation, natation, plunge, swim), not (natation, swim), marramendje (dizziness, giddiness, reel, vertigo). (various references) | |
Arabic | سابح, سباحة (bathing, stroke, swim), دوار (daze, dizziness, giddiness, revolutionary, revolving, rolling, rotary, rotating, rotational, rotative, rotatory, sturdy, swim, swinging, turn, vertigo, voluble). (various references) | |
Asturian | nalar (to swim). (various references) | |
Basque | igertoki (swimming pool). (various references) | |
Bemba | ukowa (to swim). (various references) | |
Bulgarian | плувнал (afloat, aswim with, in water), плуване (natation, swim). (various references) | |
Cebuano | paglangoy. (various references) | |
Chamorro | man nanangu. (various references) | |
Chinese | 泳 (to swim), 游泳 (Swam, SWIM, Swum). (various references) | |
Czech | plavání (swim). (various references) | |
Danish | badebukser (swimming trunks). (various references) | |
Dutch | baden (bathe, have a bath). (various references) | |
Esperanto | naĝejo (swimming-bath), naĝbaseno (swimming pool, swimming-pool), bankalsono (swimming trunks). (various references) | |
Faeroese | svimjing. (various references) | |
Finnish | uinti, uiminen (flooding), uimataito. (various references) | |
French | natation (swim), baignade (have a swim, swim). (various references) | |
Frisian | swimmen. (various references) | |
German | schwimmend (afloat, buoyant, buoyantly, floating), schwimmen (be at sea, be awash, float, floatage, flotage, flounder, swim, to bathe, to float, to swim, to take a swim). (various references) | |
Greek | κολύμπι. (various references) | |
Hebrew | שחיה (natation, swim), שחינות. (various references) | |
Hungarian | úszás (bathe, crawl-stroke, floatage, flotage, natation, swim). (various references) | |
Inuktitut | puijuraaqtuq. (various references) | |
Italian | swimming (swimmings), nuoto (swimmer), nuotare (float, floatage, flotage, swim), fanno il bagno (bathe, bathing, have a swim, swim), bagno (bath, bathe, bathroom, toilet, washroom), bagnatura (damping, damp-mark, sprinkling, watering, wetting). (various references) | |
Japanese Kanji | 遊泳 (conduct of life), 泳ぎ , 水練 , 水泳 , 水泳 , 水心 (following one's own desires), 游泳 , スイング戦略 (sway, Sweden, Sweden relay, sweep, swing, swing strategy, switch). (various references) | |
Japanese Katakana | すいれん (water lily), すいえい, およぎ, スウィミング , ゆうえい (conduct of life), みずごころ (following one's own desires). (various references) | |
Korean | 수영 (SWIM). (various references) | |
Macedonian | plivanje. (various references) | |
Manx | snaueagh (buoyant, creepy), er snaue (awash, floating), amylt (swim). (various references) | |
Maori | (kau) kau-ria. (various references) | |
Norwegian | svømmeplass (pool, swimming-bath, swimming-pool), svømmebad (pool, swimming-bath, swimming-pool), badebukse (swimming trunks). (various references) | |
Occitan | piscina (swimming pool). (various references) | |
Papiamen | zuèmpul (pool, swimming-bath, swimming-pool), zuèmbruk (swimming trunks), pul (pool, swimming-bath, swimming-pool), batbruk (swimming trunks). (various references) | |
Pig Latin | immingsway.(various references) | |
Portuguese | swimming (swimmings), natação (natation, swim), banho (bath, bathe, bathhouse, bathing, souse, swim, wash, washing). (various references) | |
Provencal | natacion. (various references) | |
Romanian | de înot, înotãtor (swimmer), înot (swim). (various references) | |
Ruanda | koga. (various references) | |
Russian | головокружение (dizziness, giddiness, vertigo, wooziness), плавать плавание, плавание (cruise, natation, navigation, swim). (various references) | |
Samoan | aau. (various references) | |
Scottish | snàmh (float, floating, swim, the art of swimming). (various references) | |
Serbo-Croatian | plivanje (natation, swim), plivački. (various references) | |
Spanish | natación (natation, swim). (various references) | |
Swedish | simning (natation, swim). (various references) | |
Thai | การว่ายน้ำ (swim). (various references) | |
Turkish | yüzmeye yarayan, yüzme (bathing, flotage, flotation, natation, natatory, swim), yüzücülük, yüzüş, dönen (rotating, swivel, turning, twisty). (various references) | |
Ukrainian | залитий, запаморочення (aberration, disorder, dizziness, swim), плаваючий (amphibious, water borne), плавання (floatation, floating, flotation, natation, swim), плавальний. (various references) | |
Vietnamese | sự bơi (natation), bơi dùng để bơi đẫm nước, ướt đẫm (dripping). (various references) | |
| Source: compiled by the editor from various translation references. | ||
| Language | Date | Source | Acts Chapter 27, Verse 43 |
| Greek (transliterated) | 250 BC | Septuagint | O de ekatontarcoV boulomenoV diaswsai ton paulon ekwlusen autouV tou boulhmatoV ekeleusen te touV dunamenouV kolumban aporriyantaV prwtouV epi thn ghn exienai |
| Latin | 405 | Vulgate | Centurio autem volens servare Paulum prohibuit fieri iussitque eos qui possent natare mittere se primos et evadere et ad terram exire |
| Middle English | 1395 | Wyclif | But the centurien wolde kepe Poul, and forbede it to be don. And he comaundide hem that miyte swymme, to go in to the see, and scape, and go out to the loond. |
| Renaissance English | 1526 | Tyndale | But the vndercaptayne willinge to save Paul kept the from their purpose and commaunded that they yt could swyme shulde cast the selves first in to ye see and scape to londe. |
| Jacobean English | 1611 | King James | But the centurion, willing to save Paul, kept them from their purpose; and commanded that they which could swim should cast themselves first into the sea, and get to land: |
| Victorian English | 1833 | Webster | But the centurion, willing to save Paul, kept them from their purpose, and commanded that they who could swim, should cast themselves first into the sea, and get to land: |
| Basic English | 1964 | Ogden | But the captain, desiring to keep Paul safe, kept them from their purpose, and gave orders that those who had knowledge of swimming were to go off the ship and get first to land: |
Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits. | |||
| Language | Acts Chapter 27, Verse 43 |
| Albanian | Por centurioni, duke dashur të shpëtojë Palin, ua largoi mendimin për këtë propozim dhe u dha urdhër atyre që dinin të notonin të hidheshin të parët në det dhe të dilnin në tokë; |
| Cebuano | Apan ang kapitan, sa iyang tinguha sa pagluwas kang Pablo, midili kanila sa paghimo sa ilang gilaraw. Ug iyang gisugo ang mga makamaong molangoy sa paglukso pag-una ngadto sa dagat ug pagtakas sa mamala, |
| Croatian | ali im satnik, hoteæi spasiti Pavla, omete naum: zapovjedi da oni koji znaju plivati najprvi poskaèu i izaðu na kraj, |
| Danish | Men Høvedsmanden, som vilde frelse Paulus, forhindrede dem i dette Forehavende og bød, at de, som kunde svømme, skulde først kaste sig ud og slippe i Land, |
| Dutch | Maar de hoofdman, willen Paulus behouden, belette hun dat voornemen, en beval, dat degenen, die zwemmen konden, zich eerst zouden afwerpen, en te land komen; |
| Finnish | Mutta sadanpäämies, joka tahtoi pelastaa Paavalin, esti heidät siitä aikeesta ja käski uimataitoisten ensiksi heittäytyä veteen ja lähteä maihin |
| French | Mais le centenier, qui voulait sauver Paul, les empêcha d`exécuter ce dessein. Il ordonna à ceux qui savaient nager de se jeter les premiers dans l`eau pour gagner la terre, |
| German | Aber der Unterhauptmann wollte Paulus erhalten und wehrte ihrem Vornehmen und hieß, die da schwimmen könnten, sich zuerst in das Meer lassen und entrinnen an das Land, |
| Indonesian-Bahasa Sehari-hari | Tetapi perwira itu mencegah niat mereka itu karena ia mau menyelamatkan Paulus. Ia menyuruh semua orang yang dapat berenang terjun dahulu dan berenang ke pantai; |
| Indonesian-Terjemahan Lama | Tetapi oleh sebab penghulu laskar itu hendak menyelamatkan Paulus itu, maka dirintanginya maksud mereka itu sambil memerintahkan, bahwa segala orang yang tahu berenang hendaklah terjun ke laut dan naik ke darat dahulu. |
| Italian | ma il centurione, volendo salvare Paolo, impedì loro di attuare questo progetto; diede ordine che si gettassero per primi quelli che sapevano nuotare e raggiunsero la terra; |
| Maori | Ko te keneturio ia i mea kia whakaorangia a Paora, kihai hoki i tukua ki ta ratou i whakaaro ai; na ka mea ia, kia matua peke atu te hunga e matau ana ki te kau, kia kau ki uta: |
| Norwegian | men høvedsmannen, som vilde frelse Paulus, hindret dem i deres råd, og bød at de som kunde svømme, skulde først kaste sig ut og komme i land, |
| Portuguese | Mas o centurião, querendo salvar a Paulo, estorvou-lhes este intento; e mandou que os que pudessem nadar fossem os primeiros a lançar-se ao mar e alcançar a terra; |
| Rumanian | Sutawul knsq, care voia sq scape pe Pavel, i -a oprit dela gkndul acesta. A poruncit ca cei ce pot knota, sq se arunce de pe corabie kn apq, wi sq iasq cei dintki la pqmknt; |
| Russian | оП УПФОЙЛ, ЦЕМБС УРБУФЙ рБЧМБ, ХДЕТЦБМ ЙИ ПФ УЕЗП ОБНЕТЕОЙС, Й ЧЕМЕМ ХНЕАЭЙН РМБЧБФШ РЕТЧЩН ВТПУЙФШУС Й ЧЩКФЙ ОБ ЪЕНМА, |
| Shuar | Tura Kapitiáncha Páprun uwemtikrataj tau asa nuna Túratniun tsankatkachmiayi. Antsu chichaak "Emka yukuaktin nékarmena nu yukuakrum péemkatarum, Tímiayi. |
| Swahili | Lakini kwa vile yule ofisajeshi alitaka kumwokoa Paulo, aliwazuia wasifanye hivyo. Aliamuru wale waliojua kuogelea waruke kutoka melini na kuogelea hadi pwani, |
| Swedish | Men hövitsmannen ville rädda Paulus och hindrade dem därför i deras uppsåt, och bjöd att de simkunniga först skulle kasta sig i vattnet och söka komma i land, |
| Uma | Tapi' tadulako mpotagi-ra, apa' ma'ahi' -i hi Paulus. Napehubui bona tauna to nginca monangu ngkalitadi hi tahi' pai' monangu hilou hi role-na. |
Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits. | |
Derivations | |
Words beginning with "swimming": swimmingly, swimmings. (additional references) | |
Words ending with "swimming": outswimming. (additional references) | |
| |
"Swimming" is suggested in spellcheckers for the following: simming, swanning, swiming, swimmi. (additional references) | |
| Source: compiled by the editor, based on several corpora (additional references). | |
| # of Phoneme Matches | Pronunciation | Word(s) rhyming with "swimming" (pronounced swi"ming) |
| 4 | -i" m i ng | brimming, dimming, skimming, slimming, trimming. |
| 3 | -m i ng | acclaiming, affirming, aiming, alarming, arming, assuming, barnstorming, beaming, becoming, blaming, blooming, blossoming, bombing, booming, bottoming, brainstorming, calming, charming, claiming, climbing, combing, coming, condemning, confirming, conforming, consuming, cramming, damming, damning, daydreaming, deprogramming, diagraming, disarming, disclaiming, dooming, dreaming, drumming, dumbing, embalming, exclaiming, farming, filming, firebombing, firming, flaming, foaming, forming, forthcoming, framing, fuming, gaming, gleaming, gloaming, grooming, harming, heartwarming, helming, hemming, homecoming, homing, humming, incoming, inflaming, informing, jamming, lambing, lemming, liming, looming, maiming, mainstreaming, misinforming, mushrooming, naming, nonperforming, numbing, oncoming, outperforming, overcoming, overwhelming, performing, plumbing, presuming, priming, proclaiming, programing, programming, ramming, reaffirming, rearming, reclaiming, redeeming, reforming, renaming, reprogramming, resuming, rhyming, roaming, rooming, scheming, screaming, seeming, shaming, shortcoming, slamming, squirming, steaming, stemming, storming, streaming, strumming, succumbing, summing, swarming, taming, teaming, teeming, terming, thumbing, timing, transforming, unassuming, unbecoming, upcoming, vacuuming, warming, welcoming, zooming. |
Source: compiled by the editor (additional references); see credits. | ||
Scrabble® Enable2K-Verified Anagrams | |
| Words within the letters "g-i-i-m-m-n-s-w" | |
-2 letters: miming, minims, wising. | |
-3 letters: minim, minis, swing, wings. | |
-4 letters: gins, iwis, migs, mini, nims, nisi, sign, sing, swig, swim, wigs, wing, wins. | |
-5 letters: gin, ins, ism, mig, mim, mis, nim, sim, sin, wig, win, wis. | |
| Words containing the letters "g-i-i-m-m-n-s-w" | |
+1 letter: swimmings. | |
+2 letters: swimmingly. | |
+3 letters: outswimming. | |
+4 letters: windjammings. | |
| Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits. SCRABBLE® is a registered trademark. All intellectual property rights in and to the game are owned in the U.S.A and Canada by Hasbro Inc., and throughout the rest of the world by J.W. Spear & Sons Limited of Maidenhead, Berkshire, England, a subsidiary of Mattel Inc. Mattel and Spear are not affiliated with Hasbro. | |
| 1. Definition 2. Synonyms 3. Crosswords 4. Usage: Modern | 5. Usage: Commercial 6. Images: Slideshow 7. Images: Photo Album 8. Images: Digital Art | 9. Quotations: Fiction 10. Quotations: Non-fiction 11. Quotations: Spoken 12. Usage Frequency | 13. Names: Derived from 14. Expressions 15. Expressions: Internet 16. Translations: Modern | 17. Bible Trace 18. Derivations 19. Rhymes 20. Anagrams | 21. Bibliography |
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