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Origin and history of swinger

swinger(n.)

1540s, "one who or that which swings," agent noun from swing (v.). Old English swingere (n.) meant "one who strikes, a scourger."

Also "anything big or great; a bold lie" (1580s, a sense now obsolete). The meaning "person who is sexually promiscuous" is from 1964, from the verb in the sense of "engage in promiscuous sex" (also 1964); earlier, more generally, "enjoy oneself unconventionally" (1957). Cant swinger "rogue, rascal, scoundrel" (c. 1500) is perhaps from Flemish or Low German.

also from 1540s

Entries linking to swinger

swing(v.)

Middle English swingen "cause to move, throw, cast, fling; move, dash, rush;" also "deliver a blow, smite with a weapon," from Old English swingan "to beat, strike; scourge, flog; to rush, fling oneself" (strong verb, past tense swang, past participle swungen). This is from Proto-Germanic *swangwi- (source also of Middle Dutch swingen, Old Saxon, Old High German swingan "to swing," Old Frisian swinga "pour," German schwingen "to swing, swingle, oscillate"), which is of uncertain origin and might be in Germanic only. Swirl, switch, swivel, swoop are sometimes considered to be from the same source. Boutkan finds Pokorny's IE reconstruction implausible for formal and semantic reasons.

The meaning "move freely back and forth," as a body suspended from a fixed point, is recorded by 1540s; that of "move with a swinging step" is by 1854. The transitive sense "cause to sway or oscillate" is from 1550s. From 1660s as "ride on a swing;" colloquially, "be hanged," 1520s.

The sense of "bring about, make happen" is by 1934. Related: Swung; swinging.

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Trends of swinger

adapted from books.google.com/ngrams/ with a 7-year moving average; ngrams are probably unreliable.

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single

The sense of "unmarried swinger" is from 1964; singles bar, catering to the young and unmarried, is attested from 1969....

rounder

1620s, "a sentinel," agent noun from round (n.) in the "circuit performed by a sentinel" sense, on the notion of "one who makes the rounds." Sense of "chronic loafer, drunkard, or criminal" is by 1854, American English, on notion of one who "goes the round" of misdemeanor, arrest

athlete

early 15c. (Chauliac), "competitor in athletic games and contests," from Latin athleta "a wrestler, athlete, combatant in public games," from Greek athlētēs "prizefighter, contestant in the games," agent noun from athlein "to contest for a prize," which from athlos "a contest," e

debauchee

"habitually lewd or profligate person, one addicted to vicious indulgence in sensual pleasures," 1660s, from French débauché "debauched (person)," noun use of past participle of debaucher (see debauch). Debauchee, n. One who has so earnestly pursued pleasure that he has had the

libertine

late 14c., "a freedman, an emancipated slave," from Latin libertinus "condition of a freedman; member of a class of freedmen," from libertus "one's freedmen, emancipated person," from liber "free" (see liberal (adj.)). The sense of "freethinker" is recorded by 1560s, from French

regulate

early 15c., regulaten, "adjust by rule, method, or control," from Late Latin regulatus, past participle of regulare "to control by rule, direct," from Latin regula "rule, straight piece of wood" (from PIE root *reg- "move in a straight line," with derivatives meaning "to direct i

casserole

1706, "stew pan," from French casserole "sauce pan" (16c.), diminutive of casse "pan" (14c.), from Provençal cassa "melting pan," from Medieval Latin cattia "pan, vessel," possibly from Greek kyathion, diminutive of kyathos "cup for the wine bowl." Originally the pan; by 1889 als

transgression

late 14c., from Old French transgression "transgression," particularly that relating to Adam and the Fall (12c.), from Late Latin transgressionem (nominative transgressio) "a transgression of the law," in classical Latin, "a going over, a going across," noun of action from transg

trivial

"ordinary" (1580s); "insignificant, trifling" (1590s), from Latin trivialis "common, commonplace, vulgar," literally "of or belonging to the crossroads," from trivium "place where three roads meet," in transferred use, "an open place, a public place," from tri- "three" (see three

fluke

"flat end of an arm of an anchor," 1560s, perhaps from fluke (n.3) "flatfish," on resemblance of shape, or from Low German flügel "wing." Transferred meaning "whale's tail" (in plural, flukes) is by 1725, so called from resemblance...."lucky stroke, chance hit," 1857, also flook,

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