different between girlfriend vs swain

English

Alternative forms

• girl friend, girl-friend

Etymology

girl +? friend

Pronunciation

• (General American) IPA^(key): /???lf??nd/
• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /????lf??nd/
• Hyphenation: girl?friend

Noun

girlfriend (plural girlfriends)

1. A female partner in an unmarried romantic relationship.

   Coordinate terms: boyfriend, fiancée, lover, partner, significant other, sweetheart, wife, lady friend
2. A female friend.

   Synonym: (slang) chickfriend

   Coordinate terms: buddy, friend, pal, BFF

Usage notes

• The term is used to refer to any girl or woman in a romantic relationship with another person.
• An adult woman in such a non-marital relationship is sometimes referred to instead as a significant other or partner, especially if the two partners are living together. Because girlfriend and partner mean different things to different people, the distinctions between the terms are subjective, and which term is used in a relationship will ultimately be determined by personal preference.
• The use of girlfriend for a female non-romantic friend of another female is limited in geographic distribution and sometimes preferred by older generations of speakers.
• Sometimes used as a term of address among men, particularly gay men.

Derived terms

Descendants

• ? Hindi: ??????????? (garlfre??)
• ? Japanese: ??????? (g?rufurendo)
• ? Korean: ???? (geolpeurendeu)
• ? Russian: ????????? (gjorlfr??nd)
• ? Urdu: ??? ?????? (garl fren?)

Translations

Anagrams

• friend girl, friendgirl

English

Alternative forms

• swaine, swein (obsolete)

Etymology

From Middle English swayn, swain, sweyn, swein, from Old English swe?en (attested also as personal name Swein, Swe?en), from Old Norse sveinn, from Proto-Germanic *swainaz (“relative, young man, servant”), from Proto-Indo-European *swé (“oneself; separate; apart”), thus properly one's own. Cognate with Danish svend (“hireling, young man”), Norwegian svein (“lad, young man, servant”) Icelandic sveinn (“boy, lad, servant”), Swedish sven (“swain, servant”), Low German Sween, dialectal German Schwein, Old English sw?n (“swineherd, lad”).

Pronunciation

• (UK) IPA^(key): /swe?n/
• Rhymes: -e?n

Noun

swain (plural swains)

1. (obsolete) A young man or boy in service; a servant.
2. (obsolete) A knight's servant; an attendant.
3. (archaic) A country labourer; a countryman, a rustic.
4. (poetic) A rural lover; a male sweetheart in a pastoral setting.
   • 2016 Zack Woods (as Donald "Jared" Dunn), "Founder Friendly", Silicon Valley episode 19

     You're the belle of the ball, and these are all your swains, hoping for a glimpse of ankle.

Derived terms

• boatswain
• coxswain
• swaining
• swainling

Translations

Anagrams

• Sawin, Wains, inaws, iwans, saw in, wains