An Etymological Dictionary of the German Language/Annotated/beschwichtigen

by Friedrich Kluge

beschwichtigen, verb, ‘to appease, compose.’ The Germans connect this word instinctively with schweigen; it forced its way, however, in the last half of the preceding century from Low German into the written language, and its cht is the earlier High German ft; it corresponds to Middle High German swiften, ‘to pacify,’ Old High German swiftôn, ‘to be quiet.’ The stem is the same as in Gothic sweiban, ‘to cease, leave off’; with this the cognates of schweigen accord fairly well both in sound and meaning; the Teutonic root swī̆b, swī̆g, is based upon the Aryan swī̆q (swī̆g in Greek σϊγάω; see under schweigen).