Definitions for swan
swɒnswan

Princeton's WordNetRate this definition:4.0 / 1 vote

1. swanverb

   stately heavy-bodied aquatic bird with very long neck and usually white plumage as adult

2. affirm, verify, assert, avow, aver, swan, swearverb

   to declare or affirm solemnly and formally as true

   "Before God I swear I am innocent"

3. roll, wander, swan, stray, tramp, roam, cast, ramble, rove, range, drift, vagabondverb

   move about aimlessly or without any destination, often in search of food or employment

   "The gypsies roamed the woods"; "roving vagabonds"; "the wandering Jew"; "The cattle roam across the prairie"; "the laborers drift from one town to the next"; "They rolled from town to town"

4. swanverb

   sweep majestically

   "Airplanes were swanning over the mountains"

WiktionaryRate this definition:0.0 / 0 votes

1. swannoun

   (plural also 'swan') Any of various species of large, long-necked waterfowl, of genus Cygnus, most of which have white plumage.

2. swannoun

   One whose grace etc. suggests a swan.

3. swanverb

   To travel from place to place with no fixed itinerary or purpose.

4. Swannoun

   someone connected with Swansea City Football Club, as a fan, player, coach, etc.

5. Swannoun

   someone connected with the Sydney Swans, as a fan, player, coach, etc.

6. Etymology: From swanaz, whence also Old High German, Old Norse svanr

Samuel Johnson's DictionaryRate this definition:0.0 / 0 votes

1. SWANnoun

   The swan is a large water-fowl, that has a long and very straight neck, and is very white, excepting when it is young. Its legs and feet are black, as is its bill, which is like that of a goose, but something rounder, and a little hooked at the lower end of it: the two sides below its eyes are black and shining like ebony. Swans use wings like sails, which catch the wind, so that they are driven along in the water. They feed upon herbs and some sort of grain like a goose, and some are said to have lived three hundred years. There is a species of swans with the feathers of their heads, towards the breast, marked at the ends with a gold colour inclining to red. The swan is reckoned by Moses among the unclean creatures; but it was consecrated to Apollo the god of musick, because it was said to sing melodiously when it was near expiring; a tradition generally received, but fabulous. Augustin Calmet

   Etymology: swan , Saxon; suan, Danish; swaen, Dutch.

   With untainted eye
   Compare her face with some that I shall show,
   And I will make thee think thy swan a crow. William Shakespeare.

   Let musick sound, while he doth make his choice;
   Then if he lose, he makes a swan like end. William Shakespeare.

   I have seen a swan,
   With bootless labour, swim against the tide,
   And spend her strength with over-matching waves. William Shakespeare.

   The birds easy to be drawn are planipedes, or water-fowl, as the mallard, goose, and swan. Henry Peacham, on Drawing.

   The fearful matrons raise a screaming cry,
   Old feeble men with fainter groans reply;
   A jarring sound results, and mingles in the sky,
   Like that of swans remurm’ring to the floods. Dryden.

   The idea, which an Englishman signifies by the name swan, is a white colour, long neck, black beak, black legs, and whole feet, and all these of a certain size, with a power of swimming in the water, and making a certain kind of noise. John Locke.

WikipediaRate this definition:0.0 / 0 votes

1. Swan

   Swans are birds of the family Anatidae within the genus Cygnus. The swans' closest relatives include the geese and ducks. Swans are grouped with the closely related geese in the subfamily Anserinae where they form the tribe Cygnini. Sometimes, they are considered a distinct subfamily, Cygninae. There are six living and many extinct species of swan; in addition, there is a species known as the coscoroba swan which is no longer considered one of the true swans. Swans usually mate for life, although "divorce" sometimes occurs, particularly following nesting failure, and if a mate dies, the remaining swan will take up with another. The number of eggs in each clutch ranges from three to eight.

Webster DictionaryRate this definition:0.0 / 0 votes

1. Swannoun

   any one of numerous species of large aquatic birds belonging to Cygnus, Olor, and allied genera of the subfamily Cygninae. They have a large and strong beak and a long neck, and are noted for their graceful movements when swimming. Most of the northern species are white. In literature the swan was fabled to sing a melodious song, especially at the time of its death

2. Swannoun

   fig.: An appellation for a sweet singer, or a poet noted for grace and melody; as Shakespeare is called the swan of Avon

3. Swannoun

   the constellation Cygnus

4. Etymology: [AS. swan; akin to D. zwaan, OHG. swan, G. schwan, Icel. svanr, Sw. svan, Dan. svane; and perhaps to E. sound something audible.]

WikidataRate this definition:0.0 / 0 votes

1. Swan

   Swans are birds of the family Anatidae within the genus Cygnus. The swans' close relatives include the geese and ducks. Swans are grouped with the closely related geese in the subfamily Anserinae where they form the tribe Cygnini. Sometimes, they are considered a distinct subfamily, Cygninae. There are six or seven species of swan in the genus Cygnus; in addition there is another species known as the Coscoroba Swan, although this species is no longer considered one of the true swans. Swans usually mate for life, though 'divorce' does sometimes occur, particularly following nesting failure. The number of eggs in each clutch ranges from three to eight.

Chambers 20th Century DictionaryRate this definition:0.0 / 0 votes

1. Swan

   swon, n. a genus of birds constituting a very distinct section of the Duck family Anatidæ, having the neck as long as the body, noted for grace and stateliness of movement on the water.—ns. Swan′-goose, the China goose; Swan′-herd, one who tends swans; Swan′-hop′ping, better Swan′-mark′ing and Swan′-up′ping, the custom of marking the upper mandible of a swan to show ownership—done annually to the royal swans on the Thames, the occasion being excuse for a festive expedition.—adj. Swan′-like.—ns. Swan′-maid′en, a familiar figure in European folklore, changing at will into a maiden or a swan by means of the magic properties of her shift; Swan′-mark, the notch made on the swan's upper mandible; Swan′-neck, the end of a pipe, &c., curved like a swan's neck; Swan′nery, a place where swans are kept and tended.—adj. Swan′ny, swan-like.—ns. Swan's′-down, the down or under-plumage of a swan, used for powder-puffs, &c.: a soft woollen cloth: a thick cotton with a soft nap on one side; Swan′-shot, a shot of large size, like buck-shot; Swan′-skin, the unplucked skin of a swan: a soft, nappy, fine-twilled flannel; Swan′-song, the fabled song of a swan just before its death: a poet's or musician's last work. [A.S. swan; Ger. schwan, Dut. zwaan.]

Suggested ResourcesRate this definition:0.0 / 0 votes

1. swan

   Song lyrics by swan -- Explore a large variety of song lyrics performed by swan on the Lyrics.com website.

2. SWAN

   What does SWAN stand for? -- Explore the various meanings for the SWAN acronym on the Abbreviations.com website.

Surnames Frequency by Census RecordsRate this definition:0.0 / 0 votes

1. SWAN

   According to the U.S. Census Bureau, Swan is ranked #1564 in terms of the most common surnames in America.
   
   The Swan surname appeared 23,001 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 8 would have the surname Swan.
   
   79.1% or 18,210 total occurrences were White.
   12.9% or 2,969 total occurrences were Black.
   2.4% or 559 total occurrences were of Hispanic origin.
   2.3% or 550 total occurrences were of two or more races.
   2.1% or 504 total occurrences were American Indian or Alaskan Native.
   0.9% or 212 total occurrences were Asian.

Matched Categories

1. • Declare
   • Sweep
   • Travel

Anagrams for swan »

1. awns

2. NASW

3. sawn

4. WANs

5. snaw

How to pronounce swan?

1. Alex

   US English

   David

   US English

   Mark

   US English

   Daniel

   British

   Libby

   British

   Mia

   British

   Karen

   Australian

   Hayley

   Australian

   Natasha

   Australian

   Veena

   Indian

   Priya

   Indian

   Neerja

   Indian

   Zira

   US English

   Oliver

   British

   Wendy

   British

   Fred

   US English

   Tessa

   South African

How to say swan in sign language?

Numerology

1. Chaldean Numerology

   The numerical value of swan in Chaldean Numerology is: 6

2. Pythagorean Numerology

   The numerical value of swan in Pythagorean Numerology is: 3

Examples of swan in a Sentence

1. Jared Kushner:

   The more time I spend with Donald Trump working with Donald Trump, the more I realize I don't bet against Donald Trump instincts, donald Trump's a black swan. Donald Trump's been a black swan all of his life.

2. Burmese Proverb:

   A swan is out of place among crows, a lion among bulls, a horse among asses, and a wise man among fools.

3. Queen Swan Marker David Barber:

   Swan Upping is the way of monitoring the welfare of the Thames swans, it dates right back to the 12th century when swans then were eaten, they were an important food; but of course today it is all about conservation and education.

4. Bob Donahay:

   We will have a great conversation about who they [ the buyers ] are and what their plans are for the swan or swans. And then we also make ourselves readily available if any of the swans experience medical issues down the road.

5. Philip Nel:

   It was his swan song, and he knew it was his swan song, it's a career summation in a lot of ways, both visually and morally, in the messages and the images.

Popularity rank by frequency of use

References

1. ^ Princeton's WordNet
   http://wordnetweb.princeton.edu/perl/webwn?s=swan
2. ^ Wiktionary
   https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/Swan
3. ^ Samuel Johnson's Dictionary
   https://johnsonsdictionaryonline.com/views/search.php?term=swan
4. ^ Wikipedia
   https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Swan
5. ^ Webster Dictionary
   https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/swan
6. ^ Wikidata
   https://www.wikidata.org/w/index.php?search=swan
7. ^ Chambers 20th Century Dictionary
   https://www.gutenberg.org/files/37683/37683-h/37683-h.htm#:~:text=swan
8. ^ Surnames Frequency by Census Records
   https://www.census.gov/topics/population/genealogy/data/2010_surnames.html