swan song

English

WOTD – 22 March 2006

Wikipedia

Alternative forms

• swansong

Etymology

A calque of German Schwanenlied(from Schwan + Lied) or Schwanengesang; from the belief that the mute swan sings before dying.

Noun

swan song (plural swan songs)

1. (idiomatic) A final performance or accomplishment, especially one before retirement.

Synonyms

• farewell performance
• last hurrah

Translations

a final performance

• Czech: labutí píseň
• Danish: svanesang (da)
• Dutch: zwanenzang (nl) m
• Esperanto: cignokanto
• Estonian: luigelaul
• Finnish: joutsenlaulu (fi)
• French: chant du cygne (fr) m
• German: Schwanengesang (de) m
• Greek: κύκνειο άσμα (el) n (kýkneio ásma)
• Hebrew: שירת הברבור

• Hungarian: hattyúdal
• Icelandic: svanasöngur
• Italian: canto del cigno m
• Japanese: 絶唱 (zesshou)
• Northern Sami: svanesång
• Polish: łabędzi śpiew (pl)
• Portuguese: canto do cisne m, canto de cisne m, canção do cisne f, canção de cisne f
• Russian: лебединая песня (ru) f (l'eb'edínaja p'ésn'a)
• Swedish: svanesång (sv) c