Etymology Explorer › English

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

  1. The act or motion of that which swings; An...

Ancestry of “swinging”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishswingTo rotate about an off-centre fixed point; To...
2Middle Englishswingen—
3Old Englishswinganto swinge, flog, beat, scourge; to give a blow...
4Proto-West Germanic*swingan—
5Proto-Germanicswinganąto swing
6Proto-Indo-Europeanswenk-to bend, swing, swivel

Words derived from “swinging”

  • swingingly
  • inswinging
  • swingingness
  • swingorilliant
Every word from Proto-Indo-European swenk- →