Swath is only a noun. It means (1) the width of a scythe stroke, (2) a path made by mowing, or (3) something likened to a path made by mowing. It’s usually used in the figurative sense. Swathe is usually a verb. It means to wrap or bind with or as if with bandage. But it also functions as a noun meaning a wrapping or bandage.
Examples
These writers use the noun swath well:
Doherty represents a large swath of suburban New Jersey where resentment toward the extra funding of low-income schools runs deep. [NPR]
Fresh fruit and vegetables surged 11.3 per cent last month after Cyclone Yasi cut a swath through banana plantations in Queensland. [Herald Sun]
But after swiftly capturing swaths of the country, pro-Ouattara forces have met fierce resistance in Abidjan in the past four days. [Guardian]
The use of swathe in place of swath is so common that the rare instances of swathe used as a verb are hard to find. Here are the few that we found:
Rotting drainpipes, embedded in the school’s interior walls and swathed in asbestos, are difficult to reach and repair. [NJ.com]
Dr Christina Brunner then ordered nurses to swathe the unconscious woman in bandages and not report the accident … [Mirror]
Wounded Warrior was held together with a sturdy swathing of duct tape … [Colorado Springs Gazette]
