swipe

The story

1. Proto-Indo-European · derived from*sweyb-“to bend, sway, swing, sweep, swerve, turn”
2. Proto-Germanic · inherited from*swipōną
3. Proto-West Germanic · inherited from*swippjan
4. Old English · inherited fromsweopian
5. Middle English · inherited fromswippen
6. English todayswipe

From earlier swip (with a short vowel), from Middle English swippen, swype (“to move violently”), from Old English sweopian, swipian, swippan (“to scourge, strike, beat, lash”), from Proto-West Germanic *swippjan, *swipōn, *swipēn, from Proto-Germanic *swipōną, *swipjaną, *swipāną (“to move”), from Proto-Indo-European *sweyb- (“to bend, sway, swing, sweep, swerve, turn”). Cognate with German schwippen (“sway back and forth”), Danish svippe (“to smack; crack a whip”), Icelandic svipa (“riding crop, whip”). Related to sweep, swoop.

Words from the same roots