different between swan vs swanlike
swan
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)
- 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).
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)
- (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.
- 2010, Lee Rourke, The Canal, Melville House Publishing (2010), ?ISBN, unnumbered page:
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)
- (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.
- 1907 December, J. D. Archer, Foiling an eavesdropper, in Telephony, volume 14, page 345:
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)
- swan (bird of the genus Cygnus)
- The meat of a swan.
- (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
- 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
- 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
- man; warrior
- herdsman; herder
- servant
- 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)
- swan
Further reading
- “swan”, in Wurdboek fan de Fryske taal (in Dutch), 2011
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swanlike
English
Etymology
From swan +? -like.
Adjective
swanlike (comparative more swanlike, superlative most swanlike)
- Similar to a swan or a characteristic of it, especially in elegance or grace
- a swanlike curve
- swanlike beauty
- (figuratively) Beautiful like a swan
Quotations
- 1886, Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, Faust, Act III, translated by John Anster, p. 174
- Ah ! That to us it may not also be,
- Instead of promised rescue,
- Augury but of Ruin,
- -To us, to us, the swanlike [transl. Schwangleichen],
- With long white necks, beautiful as the swan !-
- Ruin to Us and Her, our Queen and Mistress,
- The Daughter of the Swan !
Translations
See also
- cygnine
Adverb
swanlike (not comparable)
- In a swanlike way
- (figuratively) Beautifully like a swan
Translations
swanlike From the web:
- what does swanlike mean
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