Swung

Part of speech: verb

Pronunciation: /swʌŋ/

Definitions

1. To have propelled an object along an arc or circle
2. To have moved in a sweeping motion from side to side or in an arc while suspended ; to have propelled an object through the air with a curved motion ; to have changed abruptly in viewpoint or stance
3. Having caused or experienced a motion that arcs through space, typically back and forth while hanging ; having sent or moved something in a curved path ; having altered a decision or attitude suddenly

Etymology: "Swung" is simply the past tense and past participle of "swing," so its story is really the story of the verb. Its ancestor was Old English "swingan," meaning to beat, whip, or move violently and rhythmically through the air, a sense that still lingers in the back-and-forth arc of a hanging object. The Middle English form "swyngen" carried that same sense forward, and the Germanic cousins in Low German, German, Dutch and Swedish all preserve versions of it, such as German "schwingen" for swinging or vibrating. The most striking thread is the connection to "swink," an older English word meaning to toil or labour hard, which is listed as related. The two words share an ancient root, and the sense of vigorous, repeated exertion linking them is a reminder that a swing was once as much about effort as about motion.