Where does “beswink” come from?

beswink (English) comes from Middle English beswinken, from Old English beswincan, from Old English be, from Proto-West Germanic bī, from Proto-Germanic bi, from Proto-Indo-European h₂m̥bʰi, from Proto-Indo-European h₂n̥tbʰi, from Proto-Indo-European h₂énts — on, onto.

beswink (English): to labour, toil; belabour

Definitions

  1. to labour, toil; belabour

Ancestry of “beswink”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle Englishbeswinken
2Old Englishbeswincanto labour for or at, swink, toil, make with toil
3Old Englishbeby
4Proto-West Germanicby, at; near, around
5Proto-Germanicbiby, at; near, around
6Proto-Indo-Europeanh₂m̥bʰiaround, on either side of, about; in exchange...
7Proto-Indo-Europeanh₂n̥tbʰi
8Proto-Indo-Europeanh₂éntsforehead; front
9Proto-Indo-Europeanh₂ent-face; forehead; front
10Proto-Indo-Europeanh₂en-on, onto
Every word from Proto-Indo-European h₂en-Every word from Proto-Indo-European h₂ent-Every word from Proto-Indo-European h₂énts
beswink — Etymology, Origin & Word History | Etymology Explorer