• (RP) IPA: /swɒn/
• (America) IPA: /swɑn/

From Middle English swan, from Old English swan, from Proto-West Germanic *swan, from Proto-Germanic *swanaz, from Proto-Indo-European /*swenh₂- ("to sing, make sound").

Cognate with Western Frisian swan, Low German Swaan, swan, Dutch zwaan, German Schwan, Danish svane, Norwegian svane, Swedish svan. Related also to Old English ġeswin, Old English swinsian.

Further cognates include (possibly) Russian звон; Latin sonus, Sanskrit स्वन्.

swan (plural swans)

1. Any of various species of large, long-necked waterfowl, of genus Cygnus (bird family: Anatidae), most of which have white plumage.
2. (figuratively) One whose grace etc. suggests a swan.
3. (heraldiccharge) This bird used as a heraldic charge, sometimes with a crown around its neck (e. g. the arms of Buckinghamshire).

• French: cygne, cygne mâle, cygne femelle, cygneau, cygnet, jeune cygne
• German: Schwan, Schwänin
• Italian: cigno
• Portuguese: cisne
• Russian: ле́бедь
• Spanish: cisne

swan (swans, present participle swanning; simple past and past participle swanned)

1. (intransitive) To travel or move about in an aimless, idle, or pretentiously casual way.

Probably from dialectal I s’wan, a corruption of I shall warrant; or possibly from a minced form of I swear on.

swan (swans, present participle swanning; simple past and past participle swanned)

1. (US, dialectal or colloquial) To declare (chiefly in first-person present constructions).
   • 1940, Raymond Chandler, Farewell, My Lovely, Penguin, published 2010, page 214:

     ‘She slammed the door so hard I figured a window'd break […] .’ ‘I swan,’ I said.

From swan, the bird.

• (surname) An English nickname from the swan bird.

swan (plural swans)

1. (Australian rules football) someone connected with the Sydney Swans, as a fan, player, coach, etc.

1. Surname.
2. A number of places in USA:
   1. A twp/and/unincorporated community therein, in Noble County.
   2. A minor city in Marion County, Iowa.
   3. An unincorporated community/and/twp in Taney County, Missouri, named after Swan Creek.
   4. An unincorporated community in Smith County, Texas.
   5. An unincorporated community in Frankfort, Marathon County.
   6. Other townships, in Illinois, Nebraska and Ohio, listed under Swan Township.
3. The City of Swan, a lgarea in Perth.

• Swan Creek
• Swan Quarter
• Swan River

swan (plural swans)

1. (soccer) someone connected with Swansea City Football Club, as a fan, player, coach, etc.