English

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Etymology

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From Middle English swaipen (to strike, scourge), from Old Norse sveipa (to sweep, stroke) and/or Old English swāpan (to sweep); both ultimately from Proto-Germanic *swaipaną (to sweep, swing, hurl, fling). Doublet of swoop.

Verb

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swaip (third-person singular simple present swaips, present participle swaiping, simple past and past participle swaiped)

  1. (UK, dialect, obsolete) To walk proudly; to sweep along.
    • 1842, Anthony Ganilh, Ambrosio de Letinez, page 143:
      Och, for his swaiping! That was a lucky job for him, —the ill-favored, foul-mouthed blackguard, heretic and villain thief!
    • 1883, Welbore St. Clair Baddeley, Bedoueen Legends: And Other Poems, page 40:
      But Ayas swaiped aside among the crowd, Aflush with hate and burning discontent: And many murmured at him: for, said they, “Hamil at least doth surely mean us well!“
    • 2013, Percarus:
      It is in good manners to swaip / But only when just celebrating / Without malice and arrogance / To show accomplishment once

Further reading

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Anagrams

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