Where does “swinging” come from?
Swinging derives from English swing with the Old English participial suffix -ing, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European sweng-, meaning to swing or turn.
swinging (English): The act or motion of that which swings; An...
Definitions
- The act or motion of that which swings; An...
Ancestry of “swinging”, step by step
swinging traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via English swing
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | swing | To rotate about an off-centre fixed point; To... |
| 2 | Middle English | swingen | — |
| 3 | Old English | swingan | to swinge, flog, beat, scourge; to give a blow... |
| 4 | Proto-West Germanic | *swingan | to swing |
| 5 | Proto-Germanic | swinganą | to swing |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | swenk- | to bend, swing, swivel |
via English swingeing
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | swingeing | Huge, immense; Heavy, powerful, scathing; present... |
| 2 | English | swinge | To singe; To move like a lash; to lash; To strike... |
| 3 | Middle English | swengen | To hit or beat; to land a blow |
| 4 | Old English | swenġan | to dash, strike; to cause to swing |
| 5 | Proto-West Germanic | *swangijan | to cause to swing, waver |