An Etymological Dictionary of the German Language/schwenken

by Friedrich Kluge

schwenken, vb., ‘to swing, wave to and fro, brandish,’ from MidHG. swęnken, ‘to swing, hurl, roam, soar,’ OHG. swęnchen, ‘to strike’; comp. Du. zwenken, ‘to swing,’ AS. swęnčęan, ‘to strike, worry,’ and allied to the root swink, swing, in schwingen; comp. klingen with regard to the change of k to g at the end of the root.