swan
7 definitions found
swan - Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48 :
Swan \Swan\ (sw[o^]n), n. [AS. swan; akin to D. zwaan, OHG.
swan, G. schwan, Icel. svanr, Sw. svan, Dan. svane; and
perhaps to E. sound something audible.]
1. (Zool.) Any one of numerous species of large aquatic birds
belonging to Cygnus, Olor, and allied genera of the
subfamily Cygninae. They have a large and strong beak
and a long neck, and are noted for their graceful
movements when swimming. Most of the northern species are
white. In literature the swan was fabled to sing a
melodious song, especially at the time of its death.
[1913 Webster]
Note: The European white, or mute, swan (Cygnus gibbus),
which is most commonly domesticated, bends its neck in
an S-shaped curve. The whistling, or trumpeting, swans
of the genus Olor do not bend the neck in an S-shaped
curve, and are noted for their loud and sonorous cry,
due to complex convolutions of the windpipe. To this
genus belong the European whooper, or whistling swan
(Olor cygnus), the American whistling swan (Olor Columbianus
), and the trumpeter swan (Olor buccinator
). The Australian black swan (Chenopis atrata
) is dull black with white on the wings, and has
the bill carmine, crossed with a white band. It is a
very graceful species and is often domesticated. The
South American black-necked swan (Sthenelides melancorypha
) is a very beautiful and graceful
species, entirely white, except the head and neck,
which are dark velvety seal-brown. Its bill has a
double bright rose-colored knob.
[1913 Webster]
2. Fig.: An appellation for a sweet singer, or a poet noted
for grace and melody; as Shakespeare is called the swan of
Avon.
[1913 Webster]
3. (Astron.) The constellation Cygnus.
[1913 Webster]
Swan goose (Zool.), a bird of India (Cygnopsis cygnoides)
resembling both the swan and the goose.
Swan shot, a large size of shot used in fowling.
[1913 Webster]
swan - WordNet (r) 2.1 (2005) :
swan
n 1: stately heavy-bodied aquatic bird with very long neck and
usually white plumage as adult
v 1: to declare or affirm solemnly and formally as true; "Before
God I swear I am innocent" [syn: affirm, verify,
assert, avow, aver, swan, swear]
2: move about aimlessly or without any destination, often in
search of food or employment; "The gypsies roamed the woods";
"roving vagabonds"; "the wandering Jew"; "The cattle roam
across the prairie"; "the laborers drift from one town to the
next"; "They rolled from town to town" [syn: roll,
wander, swan, stray, tramp, roam, cast, ramble,
rove, range, drift, vagabond]
3: sweep majestically; "Airplanes were swanning over the
mountains"
swan - V.E.R.A. -- Virtual Entity of Relevant Acronyms (June 2006) :
SWAN
Sun Wide Area Network (Sun, WAN)
SWAN
Secure WAN (RSA), "S/WAN"
swan - Easton's 1897 Bible Dictionary :
Swan
mentioned in the list of unclean birds (Lev. 11:18; Deut.
14:16), is sometimes met with in the Jordan and the Sea of
Galilee.
swan - U.S. Gazetteer (1990) :
Swan, IA (city, FIPS 76665)
Location: 41.46561 N, 93.30942 W
Population (1990): 76 (33 housing units)
Area: 1.7 sq km (land), 0.0 sq km (water)
Zip code(s): 50252
swan - Moby Thesaurus II by Grady Ward, 1.0 :
66 Moby Thesaurus words for "swan":
alabaster, avifauna, baby bird, bird, bird of Jove, bird of Juno,
bird of Minerva, bird of night, bird of passage, bird of prey,
birdie, birdlife, birdy, cage bird, chalk, chick, cygnet,
diving bird, dove, driven snow, eagle, eaglet, fish-eating bird,
fledgling, fleece, flightless bird, flour, foam, fowl,
fruit-eating bird, fulmar, game bird, insect-eating bird, ivory,
lily, maggot, migrant, migratory bird, milk, nestling, oscine bird,
owl, paper, passerine bird, peacock, peafowl, peahen, pearl,
perching bird, pigeon, ratite, sea bird, seed-eating bird, sheet,
shore bird, silver, snow, songbird, squab, storm petrel,
stormy petrel, wading bird, warbler, water bird, waterfowl,
wildfowl
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