Etymology: Old English swica : see swike v. In Scots and northern dialect swaik, swyke, swick = deceitful person, worthless fellow.

Etymology: Old English swic ? n., chiefly in compounds, swice , strong masculine, escape, outcome, issue, deceit, treachery, stumbling-block, swice , weak feminine, or swica , weak masculine, trap: compare Middle High German swîch , swîche deceit, and see swike v.

Etymology: Old English swice (Genesis 1996, where the meaning is doubtful): see swike v.

Etymology: Old English swícan strong verb, past tense swác , swicon , past participle swicen , and swician weak verb, to wander, depart, cease, fail in loyalty, deceive, ‘scandalizare’, also in compounds á- , be- , geswícan , á- , beswician (see aswike v., beswike v., i-swike v.). The strong verb, representing a Common Germanic verb *sweikan with a variety of meanings, corresponds to Old Frisian swîka to keep far from, Old Saxon swîkan , past tense swêk to leave in the lurch, to languish, be disloyal, Middle Low German swîken to give way, Middle Dutch zwîken to escape, desert, depart, (also bezwîken to faint, to leave in the lurch, Dutch bezwijken to give way, sink), Old High German swîhhan , swîchan , Middle High German swîchen to faint, desert, allow to perish, also Old High German swîchôn to wander, stray (German dialect schweichen to wander round, to deceive), Old Norse svíkva , svíkja , past tense sveik , sviku , past participle svikinn to betray (Middle Swedish swika , Swedish svika , Danish svige ). The weak verb is from the weak grade of the root, whence also Old English swica , swice , swic swike n.¹, swike n.², swice swike adj., Middle Low German swik , Old High German biswih deceit, treachery, Old Norse svik (Middle Swedish swik , swek , Swedish svek , Danish svig ) treachery, -sviki traitor, and Old English swicol swickle n.