swan
Noun
- stately heavy-bodied aquatic bird with very long neck and usually white plumage as adult
- Any of various species of large, long-necked waterfowl, of genus Cygnus (bird family: Anatidae), most of which have white plumage.
- One whose grace etc. suggests a swan.
- This bird used as a heraldic charge, sometimes with a crown around its neck (e. g. the arms of Buckinghamshire).
Verb
Verb Forms: swanned, swanning, swans
- To swear or take an oath (an archaic usage).
- to declare or affirm solemnly and formally as true
- move about aimlessly or without any destination, often in search of food or employment
- sweep majestically
- "Airplanes were swanning over the mountains"
- To travel or move about in an aimless, idle, or pretentiously casual way.
- To declare (chiefly in first-person present constructions).
Examples
- He would swan on his life that his opponent cheated, but had no proof.
Origin / Etymology
From Middle English swan, from Old English swan, from Proto-West Germanic *swan, from Proto-Germanic *swanaz (“swan”, literally “the singing bird”), from Proto-Indo-European *swonh₂-/*swenh₂- (“to sing, make sound”).
Cognate with West Frisian swan, Low German Swaan, swan, Dutch zwaan, German Schwan, Danish svane, Norwegian svane, Swedish svan. Related also to Old English ġeswin (“melody, song”), Old English swinsian (“to make melody”).
Further cognates include (possibly) Russian звон (zvon, “ring, chime”); Latin sonus (“sound”), Sanskrit स्वन् (svan, “sound”).
Doublet of sound.
Synonyms
affirm, assert, aver, avow, cast, drift, ramble, range, roam, roll, rove, stray, swear, tramp, vagabond, verify, wander
Scrabble Score: 7
swan: valid Scrabble (US) TWL Wordswan: valid Scrabble Word in Merriam-Webster MW Dictionary
swan: valid Scrabble Word in International Collins CSW Dictionary