Etymology Explorer › Middle English

Where does “swiven” come from?

swiven (Middle English) comes from Old English swīfan, from Proto-West Germanic *swīban, from Proto-Germanic swībaną, from Proto-Indo-European swey-, from Proto-Indo-European sew- — to press out, extract; juice; liquid, rain; to...

swiven (Middle English): to have sexual intercourse; copulate

Definitions

  1. to have sexual intercourse; copulate

Ancestry of “swiven”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Old Englishswīfanto revolve, sweep, wend, intervene; to move,...
2Proto-West Germanic*swīban—
3Proto-Germanicswībanąto revolve; move around; sway; stray; to sweep;...
4Proto-Indo-Europeanswey-to twist, swing; to hiss; whistle; to swing,...
5Proto-Indo-Europeansew-to press out, extract; juice; liquid, rain; to...

Words derived from “swiven”

  • swive
Every word from Proto-Indo-European sew- →