An Etymological Dictionary of the German Language/Annotated/Zwist

by Friedrich Kluge

Zwist, masculine, ‘dissension, quarrel; twist,’ from the equivalent Middle High German zwist, masculine; properly a Low German word which has passed into High German. Compare Low German and Dutch twist, ‘quarrel,’ also Dutch and English twist, Danish twist, ‘twisted stuff, Middle English twist, ‘branch’ (twisten, ‘to plait’), Oc. tvistr, ‘sad, disunited,’ Icelandic tvistra, ‘to dissever.’ The Aryan root dwis, on which these words are based, appears in Sanscrit as dviš, ‘to hate,’ with a signification that resembles Modern High German Zwist; it may have been ‘to be at variance, disunited.’ Perhaps Latin bellum, duellum, ‘war, from the base *dwerlo-, equivalent to *dwislo-?, is also connected with this word.