Adjacent Words

Swain definitions

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Webster's 1828 Dictionary

SWAIN, n.
1. A young man.
2. A country servant employed in husbandry.
3. A pastoral youth. [It is used chiefly in this sense, and in poetry.]
Blest swains! whose nymphs in every grace excel.

WordNet (r) 3.0 (2005)

n
1: a man who is the lover of a girl or young woman; "if I'd known he was her boyfriend I wouldn't have asked" [syn: boyfriend, fellow, beau, swain, young man]

Merriam Webster's

noun Etymology: Middle English swein boy, servant, from Old Norse sveinn; akin to Old English sw?n swain, Latin suus one's own — more at suicide Date: 14th century 1. rustic, peasant; specifically shepherd 2. a male admirer or suitor • swainish adjective • swainishness noun

Oxford Reference Dictionary

n. 1 archaic a country youth. 2 poet. a young lover or suitor. Etymology: ME swein f. ON sveinn lad = OE swan swineherd, f. Gmc

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Swain Swain, n. [OE. swain, swein, Icel. sveinn a boy, servant; akin to Sw. sven, Dan. svend, AS. sw[=a]n, OHG. swein.] 1. A servant. [Obs.] Him behoves serve himself that has no swain. --Chaucer. 2. A young man dwelling in the country; a rustic; esp., a cuntry gallant or lover; -- chiefly in poetry. It were a happy life To be no better than a homely swain. --Shak. Blest swains! whose nymphs in every grace excel. --Pope.

Collin's Cobuild Dictionary

(swains) A swain is a young man who is in love. (OLD-FASHIONED) N-COUNT

Soule's Dictionary of English Synonyms

n. 1. Rustic, hind, peasant, countryman, clown. 2. Country gallant, rustic lover, wooer, suitor, adorer, inamorato, amoroso.

Moby Thesaurus

Casanova, Don Juan, Lothario, Romeo, amoroso, beau, bodyguard, boyfriend, caballero, cavalier, cavaliere servente, chaperon, companion, conductor, convoy, duenna, escort, esquire, fellow, fellow traveler, flame, gallant, gentleman friend, gigolo, guard, inamorato, lady-killer, love-maker, man, necker, old man, petter, philanderer, safe-conduct, seducer, sheik, shepherd, spark, sparker, squire, sugar daddy, usher, wooer, young man