▪ I. swike, n.1 Obs. (exc. dial.).
Forms: 1–2 swica, 2 swice, 2–4 swike, suike, 3 sweoke, swoke, (swiche), 3–4 suyke, 5 sweke.
[OE. swica: see swike v. In Sc. and north. dial. swaik, swyke, swick = deceitful person, worthless fellow.]
A deceiver; a traitor.
| c 1000 Ags. Gosp. Matt. xxvii. 63 We ᵹemunon þæt se swica sæde þa he on life wæs æfter þrym daᵹon ic arise. a 1100 O.E. Chron. an. 1055 Utlaᵹode mann ælfar eorl forðon him man wearp on þæt he wæs þes cynges swica. 1154 Ibid. an. 1135 Þa ricemen þe wæron swikes. a 1200 Moral Ode 103 in O.E. Hom. I. 165 Þa swicen [Egerton MS. swikele, later copy swikene] and ta forsworene. a 1225 Ancr. R. 98 Ueond þet þuncheð freond is swike ouer alle swike. c 1230 Hali Meid. 45 Ne geineð þe nawt, sweoke. c 1300 Havelok 1158 Þat wicke þral, þat foule swike. c 1400 R. Gloucester's Chron. 6399 (MS. β) Alle traitours & luþer swikes [v.rr. suiken, sweken, swykes] god late hom so spede. |
▪ II. swike, n.2 Obs. (exc. dial.).
Forms: 1 swic, ? swica, swice, 3–4 swike, 3–5 swik, (swiche), 4 suike, suik, (suiche), squike, squyke, 4–5 swyke, 5 swyk, swyck.
[OE. swic ? n., chiefly in compounds, swice str. m., escape, outcome, issue, deceit, treachery, stumbling-block, swice wk. f., or swica wk. m., trap: cf. MHG. swîch, swîche deceit, and see swike v.]
1. Deceit, deception, treachery; an act of deception, a trick.
In ME., withouten swike or but swike was used as a metrical tag.
In mod.Sc. and north. dial. in the forms swike, swyke, swick, with the sense ‘cheat, deception’; also in Sc. phr. the swick of, the responsibility for (something blameworthy).
| c 893 ælfred Oros. iii. vii. 114 He..ealle þa cyningas mid biswice [Cott. MS. mid his swice] ofsloᵹ. c 1220 Bestiary 445 Ðe deuel is tus ðe fox ilik mið iuele breides & wið swik. c 1250 Hymn to God 19 in Trin. Coll. Hom. App. 258 He vs bouchte wið his blod of þe feondes swiche. a 1300 Cursor M. 818 (Cott.) Þe find..Þat wit his suik bi-suak adam. Ibid. 2097 Asie es, wit-outen suike, Sua mikel als europ and affrike. Ibid. 6514 ‘Þi folk,’ he said, ‘has don a suik.’ c 1425 Wyntoun Cron. vii. viii. 1616 (Wemyss MS.) He gat nocht þat bischoprik Nocht wiþ lawte, bot with swik. a 1500 Ratis Raving i. 1031 Bot always serf hyme elyk, Quhill þow haf tan thi leif but swik. |
† 2. A snare, trap. Obs.
This use is perh. continued under the form sweek, q.v. (where, however, another explanation has been suggested). Cf. swickle.
| a 1100 Gloss Aldhelm i. 4982 (Napier 127/2) Decipulam, swican. 13.. Coer de L. 4081 Under the brygge ther is a swyke, Corven clos, joynand queyntlike. c 1400 Ywaine & Gaw. 677 Under that than was a swyke, That made Syr Ywain to myslike; His horse fote toched thareon, Than fel the port-culis onone. 14.. Guy Warw. (Camb. MS.) 7580 He ys black as any pyck, And also felle as a lyon in his swyck. c 1475 Nom. in Wr.-Wülcker 703/7 Hec discipula [= decipula], a swyke. |
▪ III. † swike, a. Obs.
[OE. swice (Genesis 1996, where the meaning is doubtful): see next.]
Deceitful; treacherous; traitorous.
| c 1175 Lamb. Hom. 53 Þenne þe mon wule tilden his musestoch he bindeð uppon þa swike chese. c 1205 Lay. 14865 He..minne fader biswak þurh swike his craftes [later version mid his luþer craftes]. c 1250 Gen. & Ex. 2845 He ledden feren swike, Ðe sulden him deren witterlike. |
▪ IV. swike, v. Obs. exc. Sc. dial.
Forms: α. 1 swican, 2–5 swike, 4 suike, squike, squyke, Ayenb. zuyke, 4–5 (9 dial.) swyke; β. 1 swician, 2 swikian, 3 swic, 4 suick, squeke, 6 swik, swyk, 9 dial. swick. pa. tense. α. 1–3 swac, (pl. 1 swicon, 2 suyken), 2–3 -swak, 3–5 -swok(e, 4 suak(e, squake; β. 1 swicode, (-ade, -ede), 4–5 swykede, swykkede, 6 Sc. swikit. pa. pple. α. 1–3 -swicen, 2–5 swiken, 4 squikin, 5 suiken; β. 9 Sc. swicket.
[OE. sw{iacu}can str. vb., pa. tense swác, swicon, pa. pple. swicen, and swician wk. vb., to wander, depart, cease, fail in loyalty, deceive, ‘scandalizare’, also in compounds á-, be-, ᵹesw{iacu}can, á-, beswician (see aswike, beswike, iswike). The str. vb., repr. a Com. Teut. vb. *sweikan with a variety of meanings, corresponds to OFris. swîka to keep far from, OS. swîkan, pa. tense swêk to leave in the lurch, to languish, be disloyal, MLG. swîken to give way, MDu. zwîken to escape, desert, depart, (also bezwîken to faint, to leave in the lurch, Du. bezwijken to give way, sink), OHG. swîhhan, swîchan, MHG. swîchen to faint, desert, allow to perish, also OHG. swîchôn to wander, stray (G. dial. schweichen to wander round, to deceive), ON. sv{iacu}kva, sv{iacu}kja, pa. tense sveik, sviku, pa. pple. svikinn to betray (MSw. swika, Sw. svika, Da. svige). The wk. vb. is from the weak grade of the root, whence also OE. swica, swice, swic swike n.1 and n.2, swice swike a., MLG. swik, OHG. biswih deceit, treachery, ON. svik (MSw. swik, swek, Sw. svek, Da. svig) treachery, -sviki traitor, and OE. swicol swickle.]
I. † 1. intr. To leave off, cease. Obs.
In OE. const. gen. or from; in ME. the gen. sing. can be apprehended as pl., which then appears to be a direct object.
| c 897 ælfred Gregory's Past. C. xxviii. 195 ærest mon hnappað; ᵹif he ðonne ðære hnappunge ne swicð, ðonne hnappað he oð he wierð on fæstum slæpe. a 900 Cynewulf Juliana 373 (Gr.) Ic hine þæs synnum onæle þæt he byrnende from ᵹebede swiceð. c 1175 Lamb. Hom. 15 Þas reueres & þas þeues þet nulleð nu nefre swike heore uueles. c 1220 Bestiary 193 No mod ðu ne cune,..oc swic of sineginge. a 1225 Leg. Kath. 1937 Swa þet Katerine..swike hire sotschipes, & ure wil wurche. c 1240 Cuckoo Song, Cuccu! cuccu! Wel singes þu cuccu; ne swik þu nauer nu. a 1310 in Wright Lyric P. xv. 48 Nou y swyke, y mei nout so, Hit [sc. gout] siweth me so faste. 1340 Ayenb. 157 Vor hy ne zuykeþ neure niȝt ne day ac alneway bieþ in waytinge uor ous. |
† 2. intr. To act deceitfully, practise deceit. Obs.
| c 1000 ælfric Hom. I. 316 Hwi woldest ðu swician on ðinum aᵹenum? c 1000 ― in Ags. Hom. (Assmann) i. 121 Ure wiðerwinna is witodlice se deofol, þe embe us swicað mid his searacræftum. c 1205 Lay. 2349 Ah ne dude he nawiht swo for swiken [c 1275 swike] he þohte. a 1300 Cursor M. 19093 (Cott.) Yee suak and nitt be-for pilate, And demed als ye-seluen wate. c 1300 K. Horn 711 (Laud) Ne shal ich neuere swike, Ne do þat þe mislike. |
II. 3. trans. To deceive, cheat, ensnare.
In OE. const. dative.
| c 950 Lindisf. Gosp. Matt. xxiv. 11 Multi pseudo-prophetae surgent et seducent multos, moniᵹo lease witᵹo arisað & swicað moniᵹo. c 1000 ælfric Exod. xxxiv. 15 Ne nim þu nane sibbe wið þæs landes menn, þe læs þe hira æniᵹ þe swice. a 1023 Wulfstan Hom. xxxiii. (1883) 160 Mæst ælc swicode and oðrum derede wordes and dæde. c 1050 O.E. Chron. an. 1049 (Cott. MS.) Ða wende Beorn for þære sibbe þæt he him swican nolde. c 1205 Lay. 3948 Poreus hauede þe heorte swa luþer..þat swiken he him wolde a sumes kinnes wisen. c 1220 Bestiary 601 He ðe swiken ðer imong, ðin aȝte wið swiking, ði soule wið lesing. a 1300 Cursor M. 819 (Cott.) God wist wel þe find him suak. Ibid. 14840 Quer he haf suiken [Fairf. squikin] wit his art, Ani lauerding apon vr part. Ibid. 26572 If þou will noght þi saul suick [Fairf. squike] Þou sceu þi sin all openlike. a 1340 Hampole Psalter xxxvi. 34 For þe rightwismannys life is vnlike til his, he thynkis him to swyke. c 1375 Cursor M. 26456 (Fairf.) Qua wraþþis his lorde he dos him squeke, Quen he of merci has funden him meke. 1513 Douglas æneis iv. ii. 72 Sum tyme wald scho Ascanius, the page..in hir bosum brace, gif scho tharby The luif vntellable mycht swyk or satisfy. 1514 in Rec. Earldom of Orkney (S.H.S.) 88 It is weill knawin and fund that he swekit and defraudit his bruthir. |
† b. Of a thing: To prove false to, disappoint the expectation of, fail (a person). Obs.
In OE. also, ‘to be a traitor, desert’.
| Beowulf 1460 (Gr.) Næfre hit [sc. the sword] æt hilde ne swac manna ænᵹum. ? a 1400 Morte Arth. 1795 Whene his spere was sprongene, he spede hym fulle ȝerne, Swappede owtte wiþ a swerde, that swykede hym neuer. Ibid. 3361 For whilles thow swanke with the swerde, it swykkede þe neuer. a 1400–50 Wars Alex. 4999 And þou may swythe haue a sware, at swike sall þe neuire. |
† c. To surprise, take unawares. Obs. rare—1.
| c 1400 Anturs of Arth. xlii. (Douce MS.) Withe a swap of a swerde þat swaþel him swykes. |
d. To get dishonestly, ‘sneak’. Sc. dial.
| 1889 Edwards Strathearn Lyrics 33 My heaviest care was the loss o' a bool, When 'twas stown or ‘swicket’ at Auld Jenny's Schule. |
Hence † swiking (OE. swicung) vbl. n., deceit, fraud; † swiking ppl. a., whence † swikingly (swicandliche) adv., treacherously.
| c 1000 Sax. Leechd. III. 198 Swicunge ceapes. c 1000 in Anglia (1889) XI. 117/29 Inlusione diabolica, mid swicunge deoflicre. c 1175 Lamb. Hom. 25 Þenne cumeð her under þe deofel swicandliche. c 1220 [see 3 above]. |