any of several large, stately aquatic birds of the subfamily Anserinae, having a long, slender neck and usually pure-white plumage in the adult.
a person or thing of unusual beauty, excellence, purity, or the like.
Literary. a person who sings sweetly or a poet.
Astronomy. Swan, the constellation Cygnus.
any large aquatic bird of the genera Cygnus and Coscoroba, having a long neck and usually a white plumage: family Anatidae, order Anseriformes
rare
a poet
( capital when part of a title or epithet )
the Swan of Avon (Shakespeare)
First recorded before 900; Middle English, Old English; cognate with German Schwan, Old Norse svanr
1775–85, probably continuing dial. (N England) I s'wan, shortening of I shall warrant
In "The Ugly Duckling," a young bird is mistaken for a duck until it grows up to be a beautiful swan. A swan is a large bird with a long, elegant neck. You're most likely to see swans in the water, but they also spend some time on land. Baby swans are called cygnets, and as adults, they're either cobs (if male), or pens (if female). If you're lucky enough to see a whole group of swans swimming or flying together, you can call it a bevy of swans. Swan comes from a root meaning "to sing."
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Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
“We’re overestimating the timing of onset of these diseases for everyone in SWAN, regardless of race. It basically amounts to only telling part of the story.”
From Science Magazine • Nov. 10, 2022
SWAN: I mean, 1,000 Americans are dying a day.
From Salon • Aug. 4, 2020
Rico, who is now director of communications and policy for SWAN, was initially skeptical that any training or program could change the military’s hostile culture toward women.
From Slate • Dec. 10, 2018
Anu Bhagwati, executive director of SWAN, said the groups asked the VA to review and change its broken sexual assault disability claims process.
From Washington Times • Jul. 29, 2014
SWAN: The OAS is here investigating human rights abuses.
From "Before We Were Free" by Julia Alvarez
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
