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swine. In DICTIOUS you will not only get to know all the dictionary meanings for the word
swine, but we will also tell you about its etymology, its characteristics and you will know how to say
swine in singular and plural. Everything you need to know about the word
swine you have here. The definition of the word
swine will help you to be more precise and correct when speaking or writing your texts. Knowing the definition of
swine, as well as those of other words, enriches your vocabulary and provides you with more and better linguistic resources.
English
Etymology
From Middle English swyn, swin, from Old English swīn, from Proto-West Germanic *swīn, from Proto-Germanic *swīną, from an adjectival form of Proto-Indo-European *suH- (“pig”), equivalent to sow + -en.
Cognates
Related to
West Frisian swyn,
Low German Swien,
Dutch zwijn,
German Schwein,
Danish and
Swedish svin, and more distantly to
Polish świnia,
Russian свинья́ (svinʹjá),
Latin sūinus,
Latin sūs,
Ancient Greek ὗς (hûs),
Persian خوک (xuk).
Pronunciation
Noun
swine (plural swine or swines)
- (plural swine) A pig (the animal).
- (derogatory) A contemptible person (plural swines).
- (slang, derogatory) A police officer; a "pig".
- (slang, derogatory) Something difficult or awkward; a pain.
That old car is a swine to manoeuvre.
Usage notes
In its literal sense, swine is often used, like cattle, as an uncountable plurale tantum: 200 head of swine.
Derived terms
Translations
See also
Noun
swine
- (archaic) plural of sow
Anagrams
Middle English
Noun
swine
- Alternative form of swyn