An Etymological Dictionary of the German Language/schwingen

by Friedrich Kluge

schwingen, vb., ‘to swing, brandish, wave,’ from MidHG. swingen, swinken, OHG. swingan (swinchan?), ‘to swing, throw, hurl, strike, scourge, vault, fly, soar’; corresponding to OSax. swingan, ‘to vault,’ AS. swingan, ‘to scourge, fly, flutter,’ E. to swing; from Goth. *swiggwan was formed swaggwjan, ‘to swing about.’ Under schwank and schwenken, an Aryan root swenk, sweng, was adduced; AS. swincan, E. to swink, is a variant of AS. swingen, E. to swing; comp. Du. zwenken, ‘to swing.’