Where does “unswing” come from?

unswing (English) comes from English Swing, from Middle English swyngen, from Old English swingan, from Proto-West Germanic *swingan, from Proto-Germanic swinganą, from Proto-Indo-European swenk- — to bend, swing, swivel.

unswing (English): To reverse the act of swinging

Definitions

  1. To reverse the act of swinging

Ancestry of “unswing”, step by step

unswing traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.

via English Swing

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishSwingTo rotate about an off-centre fixed point
2Middle EnglishswyngenTo strike or land a blow
3Old Englishswinganto swinge, flog, beat, scourge; to give a blow...
4Proto-West Germanic*swinganto swing
5Proto-Germanicswinganąto swing
6Proto-Indo-Europeanswenk-to bend, swing, swivel

via English un

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishunOne
Every word from Proto-Indo-European swenk-Every word from Proto-Germanic swinganąEvery word from Proto-West Germanic *swingan
unswing — Etymology, Origin & Word History | Etymology Explorer