Where does “hookswinging” come from?
hookswinging (English) comes from English hook, from Swedish hök, from Old Swedish høker, from Middle Low German hȫker, from Old High German huchan, from Proto-Germanic *hūkan-, from Proto-Germanic *hūkkan-, from Proto-Germanic *huk(k)ōn- — flare up, glow; white; to glow, burn, lighten.
hookswinging (English): A ritualistic form of torture in which a volunteer was hung from hooks attached to the flesh on the back
Definitions
- A ritualistic form of torture in which a volunteer was hung from hooks attached to the flesh on the back
Ancestry of “hookswinging”, step by step
hookswinging traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via English hook
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | hook | A rod bent into a curved shape, typically with... |
| 2 | Swedish | hök | a hawk; a hawk; proponent of aggressive politics |
| 3 | Old Swedish | høker | hawk |
| 4 | Middle Low German | hȫker | peddler |
| 5 | Old High German | huchan | — |
| 6 | Proto-Germanic | *hūkan- | — |
| 7 | Proto-Germanic | *hūkkan- | — |
| 8 | Proto-Germanic | *huk(k)ōn- | — |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | *kuk-néh₂ | — |
| 10 | Proto-Indo-European | ḱewk- | flare up, glow; white; to glow, burn, lighten |
via English swinging
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | swinging | The act or motion of that which swings; An... |
| 2 | English | swing | To rotate about an off-centre fixed point; To... |
| 3 | Middle English | swingen | — |
| 4 | Old English | swingan | to swinge, flog, beat, scourge; to give a blow... |
| 5 | Proto-West Germanic | *swingan | to swing |
| 6 | Proto-Germanic | swinganą | to swing |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | swenk- | to bend, swing, swivel |