Dictionary.com

swain

[ sweyn ]
/ sweÉȘn /
Save This Word!

noun
a male admirer or lover.
a country lad.
a country gallant.
QUIZ
ALL IN FAVO(U)R OF THIS BRITISH VS. AMERICAN ENGLISH QUIZ
There's an ocean of difference between the way people speak English in the US vs. the UK. Are your language skills up to the task of telling the difference? Let's find out!
Question 1 of 7
True or false? British English and American English are only different when it comes to slang words.

Origin of swain

before 1150; Middle English swein servant <Old Norse sveinn boy, servant; cognate with Old English swān

OTHER WORDS FROM swain

swainish, adjectiveswain·ish·ness, nounun·der·swain, noun
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use swain in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for swain

swain
/ (sweÉȘn) /

noun archaic, or poetic
a male lover or admirer
a country youth

Derived forms of swain

swainish, adjective

Word Origin for swain

Old English swān swineherd; related to Old High German swein, Old Norse sveinn boy; see swine
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
FEEDBACK