"swing from one side to the other," nautical, 1690s, probably from older Dutch gijben, related to German gieben, of uncertain origin.
gybe v.2
alternative spelling of jibe.
Entries linking to gybe
jibe v.
"agree, fit," 1813, gibe, of unknown origin, originally U.S. colloquial, perhaps a figurative extension of earlier jib, gybe (v.) "shift a sail or boom" (see jib). OED, however, suggests a phonetic variant of chime, as if meaning "to chime in with, to be in harmony." Related: Jibed; jibes; jibing.