Swive

Part of speech: verb

Definitions

1. An archaic and vulgar verb meaning to have sexual intercourse with someone
2. Old, coarse term for engaging in sexual intercourse with a person
3. Archaic crude verb describing the act of copulating with another individual

Etymology: Old English "swīfan" meant to move, sweep, or wend, and it was used for things turning or rushing along. The same root gave us "swift" and "swivel," which both keep that idea of quick, turning motion. The older Germanic ancestor, "swībaną," meant to wipe or sweep. Related forms in Old Norse and Old Frisian suggest drifting, roving, or wavering, senses that have little to do with how the verb is used today. Its best-known sense, to have sexual intercourse with someone, is now archaic and crude. How the meaning moved from sweeping to that sense is not well documented.

Synonyms: copulate, fornicate