cygnet

American  

[sig-nit] / ˈsɪg nɪt /

noun

1. a young swan.

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cygnet British  

/ ˈsɪɡnɪt /

noun

1. a young swan

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Usage

What does cygnet mean? A cygnet is a young swan. The word cygnet is a general term for a young swan that’s used in the same way that the word duckling is used to refer to a young duck or the word gosling is used to refer to a young goose. There are several different kinds of swans, including the mute swan, trumpeter swan, tundra swan, and whooper swan. The young of any swan species can be called cygnets. Example: The ugly duckling in the fairy tale was actually a cygnet—ducklings don’t turn into swans, you know.

Etymology

Origin of cygnet

First recorded in 1400–50; late Middle English signet, from Latin cygnus, variant of cycnus, from Greek kýknos “swan”; see -et

Explanation

Before they become graceful adults covered in their signature white feathers, swans start out as fluffy gray chicks called cygnets. When they hatch, cygnets are covered in soft, gray feathers, and rely heavily on their parents to protect them and teach them how to swim and find food. As they grow, they shed their downy feathers and develop the sleek, white plumage that swans are famous for. Considering this, it comes as no surprise that in literature cygnets often symbolize the adorably awkward period of childhood and adolescence that comes before maturity.

Example Sentences

To me, the highlight was a pristine marsh brimming with relatively uncommon birds, including black terns, colorful redhead ducks, and a pair of trumpeter swan parents swimming alongside their fuzzy gray cygnet.

From Washington Post • Mar. 11, 2022

The Swan Upping is conducted each year to tally swans, and in particular their cygnet offspring, claimed by the British monarch.

From Seattle Times • Jul. 20, 2021

In his farewell speech, the man known as Supermac remarked that "this is my swan song, but I hope to hand over to this young cygnet".

From BBC • Dec. 31, 2017

Then things went awry: The female and the cygnet ducked under a gangplank and escaped downstream.

From New York Times • Jan. 5, 2017

I am the cygnet to this pale faint swan, Who chants a doleful hymn to his own death; And from the organ-pipe of frailty sings His soul and body to their lasting rest.

From King John by Shakespeare, William