Where does “swiken” come from?

swiken (Middle English) comes from Old English swīcan, from Proto-West Germanic swīkwan, from Proto-Germanic swīkwaną, from Proto-Indo-European swem(bʰ)- — to bend, turn, swing; to be unsteady, move, swim.

swiken (Middle English): to deceive

Definitions

  1. to deceive

Ancestry of “swiken”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Old Englishswīcanto wander, depart, cease from, yield, give way,...
2Proto-West Germanicswīkwanto dodge, to avoid; to betray
3Proto-Germanicswīkwanąto move out of the way; dodge; swerve; avoid;...
4Proto-Indo-Europeanswem(bʰ)-to bend, turn, swing; to be unsteady, move, swim

Words derived from “swiken”

Every word from Proto-Indo-European swem(bʰ)- →Every word from Proto-Germanic swīkwaną →Every word from Proto-West Germanic swīkwan →