szwagier (Polish)
Where does "szwagier" come from?
The Polish word 'szwagier' was borrowed from the German 'Schwager', a term with deep roots in Proto-Germanic and Proto-Indo-European languages. Its origins trace back to an ancient Indo-European term meaning 'brother-in-law', which itself was derived from the word for a husband's father. Over millennia, this family-focused expression traveled through Germanic dialects before settling into its modern Polish usage.
Full etymology tree
- szwagier (Polish), 'brother-in-law (male relative of one's generation, separated by one degree of marriage)'
- borrowed Schwager (German), 'brother-in-law'
- inherited swāger (Middle High German)
- inherited swāger (Old High German)
- inherited *swāgr (Proto-West Germanic)
- inherited *swēgraz (Proto-Germanic), 'a male person that came into a family through marriage'
- derived *swéḱuros (Proto-Indo-European), 'father-in-law'
- inherited *swēgraz (Proto-Germanic), 'a male person that came into a family through marriage'
- inherited *swāgr (Proto-West Germanic)
- inherited swāger (Old High German)
- inherited swāger (Middle High German)
- borrowed Schwager (German), 'brother-in-law'
Ancestors
- Schwager (German)
Updated July 2026
Etymology data from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0 · About Miraris