beswiken

Middle Dutch

Etymology

From Old Dutch biswīcan, from Proto-West Germanic *biswīkwan. Equivalent to be- +‎ swiken.

Verb

beswiken

1. to abandon, to forsake
2. to succumb, to collapse

Inflection

This verb needs an inflection-table template.

Descendants

• Dutch: bezwijken
• Limburgish: bezwieke

Further reading

• “beswiken”, in Vroegmiddelnederlands Woordenboek, 2000
• Verwijs, E.; Verdam, J. (1885–1929), “beswiken”, in Middelnederlandsch Woordenboek, The Hague: Martinus Nijhoff, →ISBN

Middle English

Etymology

From Old English beswīcan (“to deceive, seduce, entice”), from Proto-West Germanic *biswīkwan, from Proto-Indo-European *sweyg- (“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”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /biˈswiːkən/

Verb

beswiken

1. to lure; allure; cheat; deceive

Conjugation

Conjugation of beswiken (strong class 1 or weak in -ed)

infinitive	(to) biswiken, biswike
	present tense	past tense
1st-person singular	biswike	biswok, biswiked
2nd-person singular	biswikest	biswike1, biswikedest
3rd-person singular	biswiketh	biswok, biswiked
subjunctive singular	biswike	biswike2, biswiked2
imperative singular		—
plural3	biswiken, biswike	biswiken, biswike, biswikeden, biswikede
imperative plural	biswiketh, biswike	—
participles	biswikynge, biswikende	biswiken, biswike, biswiked

¹ Later replaced by the 1st-/3rd-person singular or biswokest.
² Later replaced by the indicative.
³ Sometimes used as a formal 2nd-person singular.

References

• “biswīken, v.”, in MED Online, Ann Arbor, Mich.: University of Michigan, 2007.