Etymology Explorer › Faroese

Where does “svíkja” come from?

svíkja (Faroese) comes from Old Norse svíkja, from Proto-Germanic swīkwaną, from Proto-Indo-European swem(bʰ)- — to bend, turn, swing; to be unsteady, move, swim.

svíkja (Faroese): to cheat, to defraud

Definitions

  1. to cheat, to defraud

Ancestry of “svíkja”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Old Norsesvíkjato betray, deceive, cheat
2Proto-Germanicswīkwanąto move out of the way; dodge; swerve; avoid;...
3Proto-Indo-Europeanswem(bʰ)-to bend, turn, swing; to be unsteady, move, swim
Every word from Proto-Indo-European swem(bʰ)- →