swarthy

[ swawr-th ee, -thee ]

/ ˈswɔr ði, -θi /

(of skin color, complexion, etc.) dark.

Origin of swarthy

1570–80; unexplained variant of obsolete swarty ( swart + -y¹)

swarth·i·ness, noun

In five weeks' time all swarthiness will be removed, and pimples beside.'

The Romance of Leonardo da Vinci |Dmitry Sergeyevich Merezhkovsky
Berenice was dark, with coloring which inclined to swarthiness; her brow was low, and her eyes small and deeply set.

Hester's Counterpart |Jean K. Baird
His face was dark almost to swarthiness and his cheeks and chin were smoothly shaven.

Golden Days for Boys and Girls, Vol. XIII, Nov. 28, 1891 |Various
This was that Talbot, commonly known from his swarthiness as the Crow, who was Ormonde's most trusted lieutenant.

The Path of the King |John Buchan

In singular contrast to a complexion dark almost to swarthiness, his eyes were large and of an intense steel-blue.

The Transgression of Andrew Vane |Guy Wetmore Carryl

swarthy

/ (ˈswɔːðɪ) /

dark-hued or dark-complexioned

swarthily, adverb swarthiness, noun

C16: from obsolete swarty, from swart + -y 1