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. t. 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. swícan str. vb., pa. t. swác, swicon, pa. pple. swicen, and swician wk. vb., to wander, depast, cease, fail in loyalty, deceive, ‘scandalizare,’ also in compounds á-, be-, ʓeswícan, 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. t. 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. beswijken 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. svíkva, svíkja, pa. t. 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 sb.1 and 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. K. Ælfred, Gregory’s Past. C., xxviii. 195. Ærest mon hnappað; ʓif 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 ʓebede 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 aʓenum? Ibid. (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, moniʓo lease witʓo arisað & swicað moniʓo.
c. 1000. Ælfric, Exod. xxxiv. 15. Ne nim þu nane sibbe wið þæs landes menn, þe læs þe hira æniʓ 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 anʓum.
a. 1400[?]. Morte Arth., 1795. Whene his spere was sprongene, he spede hymn 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. sb., 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. Bestiary, 602 [see 3 above].
