swan

Any of various species of large, long-necked waterfowl, of genus Cygnus (bird family: Anatidae), most of which have white plumage.

(figuratively) One whose grace etc. suggests a swan.

(heraldry) This bird used as a heraldic charge, sometimes with a crown around its neck (e. g. the arms of Buckinghamshire).

From Middle English swan, from Old English swan, from Proto-West Germanic *swan, from Proto-Germanic *swanaz (“swan”, literally “the singing bird”), from Proto-Indo-European *swonh₂-/*swenh₂- (“to sing, make sound”).
Cognate with West Frisian swan, Low German Swaan, swan, Dutch zwaan, German Schwan, Danish svane, Norwegian svane, Swedish svan. Related also to Old English ġeswin (“melody, song”), Old English swinsian (“to make melody”).
Further cognates include (possibly) Russian звон (zvon, “ring, chime”); Latin sonus (“sound”), Sanskrit स्वन् (svan, “sound”).
Doublet of sound.


swan

He swans around that stinking office in his expensive clothes that are a little too tight for comfort, he swans around that stinking office without a care in the world.

2010, Lee Rourke, The Canal, Melville House Publishing, →ISBN, unnumbered page:

One of the few strokes of good luck Emma had had in recent days was the news that Tatiana Flint-Hamilton, her only real rival for top billing as 'most photographable girl' at today's event had decided to swan off to Sardinia instead, leaving the limelight entirely to Emma.

2013, Tilly Bagshawe, One Summer’s Afternoon, HarperCollin, →ISBN:

On the other side: the rich, beautiful tapestry of WASP culture that constituted Levis's life—friends playing horseshoes at backyard cocktail parties, where girls swanned in chaise longues, clinking their gin and tonics.

2022, Ling Ma, “G”, in Bliss Montage, New York: Farrar, Straus and Giroux, →ISBN:

(intransitive) To travel or move about in an aimless, idle, or pretentiously casual way.

en-verb

swan (third-person singular simple present swans, present participle swanning, simple past and past participle swanned)

swans (present singular third-person)
swanning (participle present)
swanned (participle past)
swanned (past)


swan

"Well, I swan, man, I had a better opinion of you than that."

1907 December, J. D. Archer, “Foiling an eavesdropper”, in Telephony, volume 14, page 345:

‘She slammed the door so hard I figured a window'd break […].’ ‘I swan,’ I said.

1940, Raymond Chandler, Farewell, My Lovely, Penguin, published 2010, page 214:

(US, dialectal or colloquial) To declare (chiefly in first-person present constructions).

swans (present singular third-person)
swanning (participle present)
swanned (participle past)
swanned (past)
swanny (alternative)

Probably from dialectal I s’wan, a corruption of I shall warrant; or possibly from a minced form of I swear on.


swan

swannes (plural)
swanne (alternative)
swane (alternative)
suan (alternative)
swon (alternative)
sqwan (alternative)

English: swan

Scots: swan

From Old English swan, from Proto-West Germanic *swan, from Proto-Germanic *swanaz.


swan

swan (nominative singular)
swanas (nominative plural)
swan (accusative singular)
swanas (accusative plural)
swanes (genitive singular)
swana (genitive plural)
swane (dative singular)
swanum (dative plural)
swon (alternative)
suan (alternative)
suon (alternative)

Middle English: swan

English: swan

Scots: swan

From Proto-West Germanic *swan, from Proto-Germanic *swanaz, probably from Proto-Indo-European *swenh₂- (“to sound, resound”). Compare Old Saxon swan (Low German Swaan), Dutch zwaan, Old High German swan (German Schwan), Old Norse svanr (Swedish svan).


swan

Middle English: swon, swan, swone

From Proto-Germanic *swainaz. Doublet of sweġen, a borrowing from Old Norse.


swan

head

*swan m (eastern plural *swanar, western plural *swanan)

swanar (Eastern plural)
swanan (Western plural)
*swon (alternative)

North Frisian: Swoan

Saterland Frisian: Swoan, Swonne, Swoon

West Frisian: swan


swan

swan (nominative singular)
swanō (nominative plural)
swanōs (nominative plural)
swan (accusative singular)
swanā (accusative plural)
swanas (genitive singular)
swanō (genitive plural)
swanē (dative singular)
swanum (dative plural)
swanu (instrumental singular)
swanum (instrumental plural)

Old English: swan, swon

Middle English: swan

Scots: swan

English: swan

Old Frisian: *swan

Saterland Frisian: Swoan, Swonne, Swoon

West Frisian: swan

Old Saxon: swan

Middle Low German: swan, swane

Low German: Swaan, Swoon, swan, swane

Plautdietsch: Schwon

→ Norwegian: svane

→ Danish: svane

Old Dutch: *swan

Middle Dutch: swan, swāne

Dutch: zwaan

Afrikaans: swaan

Limburgish: zwaan

Old High German: swan

Middle High German: swan

desctree

German: Schwan
→ Lower Sorbian: šwon
→ Luxembourgish: Schwan

Hunsrik: Schwaan

Luxembourgish: Schwunn (archaic)

Yiddish: שוואַן (shvan)


swan

swan (nominative singular)
swaniʀu (nominative plural)
swan (accusative singular)
swaniʀu (accusative plural)
swaniʀi (genitive singular)
swaniʀō (genitive plural)
swaniʀi (dative singular)
swaniʀum (dative plural)
swaniʀi (instrumental singular)
swaniʀum (instrumental plural)

Old Saxon: swanur m

Old High German: *swanar

Middle High German: swaner m

⇒ Old High German: swanering m

From Proto-Germanic *swanaz (“boar”), from Proto-Indo-European *sewH- (“to bear, give birth”).


swan

head

swan c (plural swannen, diminutive swantsje)

From Old Frisian *swan, from Proto-West Germanic *swan, from Proto-Germanic *swanaz, probably from Proto-Indo-European *swenh₂- (“to sound, resound”).