Etymology

swivel

S1W4I1V4E1L1

Today it means: A piece, such as a ring or hook, attached to another piece by a pin, in such a manner as to permit rotation about the pin as an axis. Full definition →

Middle English swyvel ← Old English swīfan
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The story

  1. Old English · derived fromswīfan“to revolve”
  2. Middle English · inherited fromswyvel
  3. English todayswivel

From Middle English swyvel, swivel, from a derivative of Old English swīfan (“to revolve”), + -el, an instrumental suffix, equivalent to swive + -el.

Words from the same roots

Old Englishswīfan all →

swive

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.