swan

¹

[ swon ]

noun

1. any of several large, stately aquatic birds of the subfamily Anserinae, having a long, slender neck and usually pure-white plumage in the adult. Compare mute swan, trumpeter swan, whistling swan, whooper swan.
2. a person or thing of unusual beauty, excellence, purity, or the like.
3. Literary. a person who sings sweetly or a poet.
4. Swan, Astronomy. the constellation Cygnus.

swan

²

[ swon ]

verb (used without object)

1. Midland and Southern U.S. Older Use. to swear or declare (used with I ):

   Well, I swan, I never expected to see you here!

Swan

³

[ swon ]

noun

1. Sir Joseph Wilson, 1828–1914, British chemist, electrical engineer, and inventor.

Swan

¹

/ swɒn /

noun

1. SwanSir Joseph Wilson18281914MEnglishSCIENCE: physicistSCIENCE: chemist Sir Joseph Wilson. 1828–1914, English physicist and chemist, who developed the incandescent electric light (1880) independently of Edison

Swan

²

/ swɒn /

noun

1. a river in SW Western Australia, rising as the Avon northeast of Narrogin and flowing northwest and west to the Indian Ocean below Perth. Length: about 240 km (150 miles)

swan

³

/ swɒn /

noun

1. any large aquatic bird of the genera Cygnus and Coscoroba, having a long neck and usually a white plumage: family Anatidae, order Anseriformes
2. rare.
   1. a poet
   2. ( capital when part of a title or epithet )

      the Swan of Avon (Shakespeare)

verb

1. informal.
   intr; usually foll by around or about to wander idly

Derived Forms

• ˈswanˌlike, adjective

Other Words From

• swanlike adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of swan¹

First recorded before 900; Middle English, Old English; cognate with German Schwan, Old Norse svanr

Origin of swan²

1775–85, Americanism; probably continuing dial. (N England) I s'wan, shortening of I shall warrant

Word History and Origins

Origin of swan¹

Old English; related to Old Norse svanr, Middle Low German swōn

Example Sentences

An anonymous identifier called SWAN lets people control what ads they see online.

From Digiday

Gaetz apparently shared messages and documents supporting his claims with Axios's Jonathan Swan, though Swan didn't offer details on what that material indicated.

From Washington Post

According to Swan, one kilo of lettuce can be produced at Sustenir Agriculture with one-twelfth of the carbon emissions it takes to import lettuce from Australia.

From Quartz

We were dating at the height of popularity of sites like Hot or Not and TV shows like The Swan.

From Vox

The company wouldn’t make the mistake again, as it sought to pack even more transistors per chip at a scale of 7-nanometers next, Swan promised.

From Fortune

The film Black Swan, with costumes by Rodarte, had an enormous impact on fashion.

From The Daily Beast

Natalie Portman The Black Swan Oscar winner rapped on SNL with The Lonely Island.

From The Daily Beast

The Fountain was one long fight, The Wrestler was divorce, and then we reconciled on Black Swan.

From The Daily Beast

Seeley Lake lies in the valley between two mountain ranges: the Swan to the east, the Mission to the west.

From The Daily Beast

From the corner of the porch you can see the Swan Mountains; turning your head, you see the Missions.

From The Daily Beast

The universal desire was for mamma to see him, and when the time came, she owned that papa's swan had not turned out a goose.

From Project Gutenberg

Between the cape and Point Swan, there is a sandy bay, fronted by a bed of rocks.

From Project Gutenberg

The Black Swan, is singing to fine fashionable houses, and bids fair to stand unrivalled in the world of Song.

From Project Gutenberg

When the boat's all finished and all sails set, she'll sail away just like a swan; you see if she doesn't.

From Project Gutenberg

Now, little girl, you stand here and say: 'I christen thee White Swan.'

From Project Gutenberg