Etymology

From beswiken, from Old English beswīcan ‎(“to deceive, seduce, entice”), from Proto-Germanic *bi- ‎(“be-”), *swīkaną ‎(“to dodge, swerve, avoid”), from Proto-Indo-European *sweig-, *swAig- ‎(“to turn, move around, wander, swing”). Cognate with Scots beswik, beswick ‎(“to beguile, deceive”), Dutch bezwijken ‎(“to succumb”), Old High German biswīhhan ‎(“to deceive, seduce, capture”), Icelandic svikja ‎(“to betray”).