Speakur

Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

swan

/swɑn/

Word Rarity Rare

Frequency: Zipf frequency 3.84 in modern English

Syllables
swan
IPA
/swɑn/
7
Scrabble Score
4
Letters
1
Syllables
4
Unique Chars

Meaning

noun

Any of various species of large, long-necked waterfowl, of genus Cygnus (bird family: Anatidae), most of which have white plumage.

noun

One whose grace etc. suggests a swan.

noun

This bird used as a heraldic charge, sometimes with a crown around its neck (e. g. the arms of Buckinghamshire).

verb

To travel or move about in an aimless, idle, or pretentiously casual way.

Intransitive verb

verb

To declare (chiefly in first-person present constructions).

American usage; Colloquial

noun

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

name

A surname transferred from the nickname.

Countable; Uncountable

name

A number of places in the United States:

Countable; Uncountable

Example Sentences

Etymology

Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *swenh₂-der. Proto-Indo-European *swónh₂-osder. Proto-Germanic *swanaz Proto-West Germanic *swan Old English swan Middle English swan English swan 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.

Origin

Word Breakdown

  • Root: swan, *swan, *swanaz, *swenh₂-

Regional Pronunciation

  • American English: /swɑn/
  • British English: /swɒn/

Usage

Inflected Forms

swans (plural) swans (present, singular) swanning (participle, present) swanned (participle, past) swanned (past) swanny (alternative) Swann (alternative)

Derived Forms

cobswan gwan nonswan Swan swanbill Swanbrook swaness swanherd swanhood swanless swanlike swanliness

Phrases

Bewick's swan black-necked swan black swan black swan event black swan fallacy coscoroba swan graceful as a swan mute swan

Frequently Paired Words

Swan Creek Swan Quarter Swan River Swan View

Synonyms

affirm verify assert avow aver swear roll wander stray tramp roam cast

Rhymes With

on one-on-one come-on put-on run-on john non upon iran don jon con

Questions

How do you pronounce swan?
The recorded pronunciation is /swɑn/.
What does swan mean?
Any of various species of large, long-necked waterfowl, of genus Cygnus (bird family: Anatidae), most of which have white plumage.
Where does swan come from?
It is traced to Middle English.

How to pronounce swan

  1. Open the pronunciation page — Open the Speakur entry for “swan”.
  2. Read the phonetic spelling — Read the IPA spelling (/swɑn/) so you know which sounds to aim for.
  3. Play the audio — Click Play to hear reference audio for “swan”.
  4. Repeat and practice — Say “swan” aloud, matching stress and vowels until it feels natural.