different between swan vs heron

English

Pronunciation

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

Etymology 1

From Middle English swan, from Old English swan, from Proto-Germanic *swanaz (“swan”, literally “the singing bird”), from Proto-Indo-European *swonh?-/*swenh?- (“to sing, make sound”). Cognate with West Frisian swan, Low German Swaan, swan, Dutch zwaan, German Schwan, Norwegian svane, Swedish svan. Related also to Old English ?eswin (“melody, song”), Old English swinsian (“to make melody”), Latin sonus (“sound”), Russian ???? (zvon, “ringing”), Russian ???? (zvuk, “sound”).

Noun

swan (plural swans or swan)

1. Any of various species of large, long-necked waterfowl, of genus Cygnus (bird family: Anatidae), most of which have white plumage.
2. (figuratively) One whose grace etc. suggests a swan.
3. (heraldry) This bird used as a heraldic charge, sometimes with a crown around its neck (e. g. the arms of Buckinghamshire).

Derived terms

Translations

See also

• cob (adult male)
• cygnet (epicene, young)
• lamentation
• pen (adult female)

Verb

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

1. (Britain, intransitive) To travel or move about in an aimless, idle, or pretentiously casual way.
   • 2010, Lee Rourke, The Canal, Melville House Publishing (2010), ?ISBN, unnumbered page:

     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.

   • 2013, Tilly Bagshawe, One Summer’s Afternoon, HarperCollins (2013), ?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.

Usage notes

• In the sense “to travel”, usually used as part of the phrase “to swan about” or “to swan around”.

Etymology 2

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

Alternative forms

• swanny

Verb

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

1. (US, dialectal or colloquial) To declare (chiefly in first-person present constructions).
   • 1907 December, J. D. Archer, Foiling an eavesdropper, in Telephony, volume 14, page 345:

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

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

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

Anagrams

• NASW, WANs, Wans, awns, sawn, wans

Middle English

Etymology 1

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

Alternative forms

• swanne, swane, suan, swon, sqwan

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /swan/

Noun

swan (plural swannes)

1. swan (bird of the genus Cygnus)
2. The meat of a swan.
3. (heraldry) A swan as a heraldic symbol.

Descendants

• English: swan
• Scots: swan

References

• “swan, n.”, in MED Online, Ann Arbor, Mich.: University of Michigan, 2007, retrieved 2018-06-11.

Etymology 2

From Old English sw?n.

Noun

swan

1. Alternative form of swon (“pigherder”)

Old English

Etymology 1

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

Alternative forms

• swon, suan

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /sw?n/

Noun

swan m

1. swan

Declension

Synonyms

• ielfete

Descendants

• Middle English: swan
  • English: swan
  • Scots: swan

Etymology 2

From Proto-Germanic *swainaz. Doublet of swe?en, a borrowing from Old Norse.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /sw??n/

Noun

sw?n m

1. man; warrior
2. herdsman; herder
3. servant
4. boy; lad

Descendants

• Middle English: swon, swan, swone

West Frisian

Etymology

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

Noun

swan c (plural swannen, diminutive swantsje)

1. swan

Further reading

• “swan”, in Wurdboek fan de Fryske taal (in Dutch), 2011

English

Etymology

From Middle English heron, heroun, heiron, from Anglo-Norman heiron, from Old Dutch *heigero (compare Middle Dutch heiger), from Frankish and Proto-West Germanic *hraigr?, from Proto-Germanic *haigrô (compare Swedish häger), dissimilation of *hraigrô (compare Old English hr?gra, Dutch reiger, German Reiher), from imitative Proto-Indo-European *(s)kreik-, *(s)kreig- (“to screech, creak”) (compare Welsh crëyr (“heron”), Ancient Greek ????? (kríz?, “to creak, screech”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /?h???n/
• Rhymes: -???n

Noun

heron (plural herons)

1. A long-legged, long-necked wading bird of the family Ardeidae.

Coordinate terms

• (a wading bird): egret, bittern, crane, heronsew, stork

Translations

Further reading

• heron on Wikipedia.Wikipedia
• Ardeidae on Wikispecies.Wikispecies
• Ardeidae on Wikimedia Commons.Wikimedia Commons

Anagrams

• Honer, Horne, Rhone, Rhône, honer, horne, rhone

Middle English

Alternative forms

• hayroun, heyroun, heroun, herne, heiron, heyrune, heyrone, herowne, heern

Etymology

From Anglo-Norman heiron, from Medieval Latin hair?, *haigr?, from Old Dutch *heigero, from Frankish/Proto-West Germanic *hraigr?, from Proto-Germanic *haigrô, from earlier *hraigrô via dissimilation.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /?h??run/, /?h??r(?)n/, /?h?i?run/, /h?i??ru?n/

Noun

heron (plural herons)

1. the grey heron (Ardea cinerea), or (rarely) a representation of it used in heraldry
2. the meat of a heron used as food.

Related terms

• heronsewe

Descendants

• English: heron, hern
• Scots: hern

References

• “heir?un, n.”, in MED Online, Ann Arbor, Mich.: University of Michigan, 2007, retrieved 2018-07-06.

Middle French

Alternative forms

• hairon

Etymology

From Old French heron, of Germanic origin, probably from Frankish *hraigr?.

Noun

heron m (plural herons)

1. heron

Descendants

• French: héron