Swain Meaning
/sweɪn/Definition, CEFR level B2, pronunciation, examples, and quiz.
Listen pronunciation
Definition
nounA young man or boy in service; a servant.
nounA knight's servant; an attendant.
Sentence Examples
The young swain brought a bouquet of flowers to his sweetheart.
A swain is an old-fashioned word for a young man or a suitor.
The young swain brought flowers to his beloved lady.
CEFR Practice Quiz
The lovesick ____ from the village serenaded his lady with a guitar every evening.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
In the old story, the young ____ traveled across the country to seek his fortune and find his true love today.
Word Origin & History
From Middle English swayn, swain, sweyn, swein, from Old English sweġen (attested also as personal name Swein, Sweġen), from Old Norse sveinn, from Proto-Germanic *swainaz (“relative, young man, servant”), from Proto-Indo-European *swé (“oneself; separate; apart”), thus properly one's own. Cognate with Danish svend (“hireling, young man”), Norwegian svein (“lad, young man, servant”) Icelandic sveinn (“boy, lad, servant”), Swedish sven (“swain, servant”), Low German Sween, dialectal German Schwein, Old English swān (“swineherd, lad”).
Literary Quotations & Historical Citations
"theſe that ſeeme but ſilly country Swaines,
May haue the leading of so great an hoſte,
As with their waight ſhal make the mountains quake."
— c. 1587–1588 (date written), [Christopher Marlowe], Tamburlaine the Great. […] The First Part […], 2nd edition, part 1, London: […] [R. Robinson for] Richard Iones, […], published 1592, →OCLC; reprinted as Tamburlaine the Great (A Scolar Press Facsimile), Menston, Yorkshire; London: Scolar Press, 1973, →ISBN, Act I, scene ii:
"Why thus from the Plain does my Shepherdess rove
Forsaking Her Swain and neglecting his love?"
— a. 1722, Matthew Prior, “Chanson Francoise. Translated”, in H. Bunker Wright, Monroe K. Spears, editors, The Literary Works of Matthew Prior, Second edition, volume I, Oxford: Clarendon Press, published 1971, page 687:
"“Oh, dear Miss Dobson, will you but accept my hand, all these things shall be yours—the cards, the canister, the goldfish, the demon egg-cup—all yours!” Zuleika, with ravishing coyness, answered that if he would give her them now, she would “think it over.” The swain consented, and at bed-time she retired with the gift under her arm."
— 1911, Max Beerbohm, chapter II, in Zuleika Dobson:
Explore More B2 Vocabulary Words
CEFR Practice Quiz
The lovesick ____ from the village serenaded his lady with a guitar every evening.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
In the old story, the young ____ traveled across the country to seek his fortune and find his true love today.