different between squawk vs swear

English

Etymology

Unknown [from 1821], but probably of imitative origin (compare dialectal Italian squacco (“small-crested heron”)).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /skw??k/
• Rhymes: -??k

Noun

squawk (plural squawks)

1. A shrill noise, especially made by a voice or bird; a yell, scream, or call.
2. (aviation) A four-digit transponder code used by aircraft for identification or transmission of emergency signals.
3. (informal) A complaint or objection.
   • 1983, Stephen King, Uncle Otto's Truck

     That was the last roundup for McCutcheon’s Cresswell; it never moved from that field again. Not that there was any squawk from the landlord; the two of them owned it, of course.

4. (aviation) An issue or complaint related to aircraft maintenance.
   • 1969, American Aviation (volume 32)

     We think instructors should stress the importance of writeups on all maintenance squawks after the completion of each flight. More important, something should be done by the aircraft operator to correct such squawks.

5. The American night heron.
6. (programming, informal) A warning message indicating a possible error.

Translations

Verb

squawk (third-person singular simple present squawks, present participle squawking, simple past and past participle squawked)

1. To make a squawking noise; to yell, scream, or call out shrilly.

   • The hens woke up squawking with terror because they had all dreamed simultaneously of hearing a gun go off in the distance.

2. (slang, intransitive) To speak out; to protest.
3. (slang, intransitive) To report an infraction; to rat on or tattle; to disclose a secret.
   • 1948, Andrew Geer, The Sea Chase (page 68)

     "I'll slit your throat if you squawk on us," Krantz threatened.

4. (programming, intransitive, informal) To produce a warning message, indicating a possible error.
   • 2013, Bill Sempf, Chuck Sphar, Stephen R. Davis, C# 5.0 All-in-One For Dummies

     You want the compiler to squawk if you try to instantiate for a type that doesn't implement IPrioritizable.

5. (aviation) To set or transmit a four-digit transponder code. (Normally followed by the specific code in question.)
6. (US, slang, dated) To back out in a mean way.

Conjugation

Translations

English

Pronunciation

• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /sw??/
• (General American) IPA^(key): /sw??/
• Rhymes: -??(?)

Etymology 1

From Middle English sweren, swerien, from Old English swerian (“to swear, take an oath of office”), from Proto-West Germanic *swarjan, from Proto-Germanic *swarjan? (“to speak, swear”), from Proto-Indo-European *swer- (“to swear”).

Cognate with West Frisian swarre (“to swear”), Saterland Frisian swera (“to swear”), Dutch zweren (“to swear, vow”), Low German swören (“to swear”), sweren, German schwören (“to swear”), Danish sværge, Swedish svära (“to swear”), Icelandic sverja (“to swear”), Russian ????? (svara, “quarrel”). Also cognate to Albanian var (“to hang, consider, to depend from”) through Proto-Indo-European.

The original sense in all Germanic languages is “to take an oath”. The sense “to use bad language” developed in Middle English and is based on the Christian prohibition against swearing in general (cf. Matthew 5:33-37) and invoking God’s name in particular (i.e. frequent swearing was considered similar to the use of obscene words).

Verb

swear (third-person singular simple present swears, present participle swearing, simple past swore or (archaic) sware, past participle sworn or yswore)

1. (transitive, intransitive) To take an oath, to promise.

   • The Bat—they called him the Bat. […]. He'd never been in stir, the bulls had never mugged him, he didn't run with a mob, he played a lone hand, and fenced his stuff so that even the fence couldn't swear he knew his face.

2. (transitive, intransitive) To use offensive, profane, or obscene language.

Usage notes

• In sense 1, this is a catenative verb that takes the to infinitive. See Appendix:English catenative verbs

Synonyms

• See also Thesaurus:swear word
• See also Thesaurus:swear

Derived terms

Translations

Etymology 2

From the above verb, or from Middle English sware, from Old English swaru, from Proto-Germanic *swar?.

Noun

swear (plural swears)

1. A swear word.
   • 1892, Robert Louis Stevenson, The Beach of Falesá

     You might think it funny to hear this Kanaka girl come out with a big swear. No such thing. There was no swearing in her — no, nor anger; she was beyond anger, and meant the word simple and serious.

Etymology 3

From Middle English swere, swer, swar, from Old English sw?r, sw?r (“heavy, heavy as a burden, of great weight, oppressive, grievous, painful, unpleasant, sad, feeling or expressing grief, grave, slow, dull, sluggish, slothful, indolent, inactive from weakness, enfeebled, weak”), from Proto-West Germanic *sw?r, from Proto-Germanic *sw?raz (“heavy”), from Proto-Indo-European *swer- (“heavy”).

Cognate with West Frisian swier (“heavy”), Dutch zwaar (“heavy, hard, difficult”), German schwer (“heavy, hard, difficult”), Swedish svår (“heavy, hard, severe”), Latin s?rius (“earnest, grave, solemn, serious”) and Albanian varrë (“wound, plague”).

Alternative forms

• sweer, sweir, swere

Adjective

swear (comparative swearer or more swear, superlative swearest or most swear)

1. (Britain dialectal) Heavy.
2. (Britain dialectal) Top-heavy; too high.
3. (Britain dialectal) Dull; heavy; lazy; slow; reluctant; unwilling.
4. (Britain dialectal) Niggardly.
5. (Britain dialectal) A lazy time; a short rest during working hours (especially field labour); a siesta.

Derived terms

Verb

swear (third-person singular simple present swears, present participle swearing, simple past and past participle sweared)

1. (Britain dialectal) To be lazy; rest for a short while during working hours.

References

• swear at OneLook Dictionary Search

Anagrams

• resaw, sawer, sware, wares, wears