different between swain vs boyfriend

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

English

Alternative forms

• boy friend (dated)
• boy-friend (dated)

Etymology

From boy +? friend.

Pronunciation

• (General American) IPA^(key): /?b???f??nd/, /?b??f??nd/

Noun

boyfriend (plural boyfriends)

1. A male partner in an unmarried romantic relationship.

   Coordinate terms: fiancé, girlfriend, husband, lover, significant other
2. A male friend.

   Synonyms: (slang) guyfriend, buddy, pal, mate; see also Thesaurus:friend

Usage notes

In contrast to its female equivalent, girlfriend, which is also often used to describe a woman's close female friends, the term is not that often used in reference to non-romantic relationships. Boyfriend is a relatively modern term, and in the past has had implications of an illicit relationship (as sexual and romantic relationships outside marriage were more commonly frowned upon). It is now a generally accepted term and has no negative implications per se.

An adult man in a non-marital relationship is sometimes referred to instead as a significant other or partner, especially if the two partners are living together. Because boyfriend 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.

Separating the word into its two components boy friend avoids the romantic implication nowadays, although boy friend used to mean the same as boyfriend does now. However, British and Australian men usually refer to a male friend as a mate. Similarly, Americans and Canadians use the term buddy.

Derived terms

• boyfriendable

Descendants

• ? Hindi: ?????????? (b?yfre??)
• ? Japanese: ??????? (b?ifurendo)
• ? Korean: ????? (boipeurendeu)
• ? Russian: ????????? (bojfr??nd)
• ? Urdu: ??????????? (bayfren?)

Translations

Anagrams

• friend boy, friendboy

Finnish

Noun

boyfriend

1. (rare) boyfriend

Declension

Synonyms

• poikakaveri
• poikaystävä