Swain

Pronunciation: /sweɪn/

Definitions of swain

noun a male admirer or sweetheart

Example Sentences

A1 The swain brought flowers to his beloved.

A2 The young swain courted the maiden with sweet words.

B1 The swain tended to the sheep in the meadow.

B2 The handsome swain was the talk of the village.

C1 The swain's devotion to his lady knew no bounds.

C2 The swain's chivalrous actions won him the admiration of all.

Examples of swain in a Sentence

formal The young swain courted the lady with flowers and poetry.

informal The swain asked the girl out on a date.

slang The swain was totally into the new girl at school.

figurative The swain of the forest whispered secrets to the trees.

Grammatical Forms of swain

• past tense: swained
• plural: swains
• comparative: more swain
• superlative: most swain
• present tense: swains
• future tense: will swain
• perfect tense: have swained
• continuous tense: is swaining
• singular: swain
• positive degree: swain
• infinitive: to swain
• gerund: swaining
• participle: swaining

Origin and Evolution of swain

First Known Use: 1250 year

Language of Origin: Old English

Story behind the word: The word 'swain' originated from Old English 'swēn', meaning a young man or servant.

Evolution of the word: Over time, the meaning of 'swain' expanded to refer to a young lover or suitor, and eventually came to be used more broadly to describe a young man or country youth.