swine

English

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /swaɪn/

• Audio (US):

  (file)

• Rhymes: -aɪn

Etymology 1

From Middle English swine, swin, from Old English swīn, from Proto-Germanic *swīną, from an adjectival form of Proto-Indo-European *suH- (“pig”), equivalent to sow +‎ -en. Related to West Frisian swyn, Low German Swien, Dutch zwijn, German Schwein, Danish svin, and more distantly to Polish świnia, Russian свинья́ (svinʹjá), Latin sūinus, Latin sūs, Ancient Greek ὗς (hûs), Persian خوک (xuk). See also sow.

Noun

swine (plural swine or swines)

1. (plural swine) Any of various omnivorous, even-toed ungulates of the family Suidae.
2. (derogatory) A contemptible person (see asshole, sod)(plural swines).
3. (slang, derogatory) A police officer; a "pig".
4. (slang, derogatory) Something difficult or awkward; a pain.

   That old car is a swine to manoeuvre.

Derived terms

• mereswine
• swineflesh
• swine flu
• swineherd
• swine influenza

 

Translations

pig — see pig

contemptible person

• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 卑賤的人／卑贱的人 (zh), 卑贱的人 (zh) (bēijiàn de rén)

• Czech: svině (cs) f
• Danish: svin (da) n
• Dutch: smeerlap (nl) m
• Finnish: sika (fi)
• French: porc (fr) m, vermine (fr) f, (man) salaud (fr) m, trou du cul (fr) m(woman) garce (fr) f
• German: Schwein (de) n
• Hungarian: disznó (hu)
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}
• Icelandic: svín (is) n
• Indonesian: bajingan (id), bangsat (id)
• Italian: porco (it) m
• Japanese: 下劣な人 (げれつなひと, geretsu na hito)
• Korean: 돼지 (ko) (dwaeji)
• Polish: świnia (pl) f
• Portuguese: canalha (pt) m or f
• Russian: свинья́ (ru) f (svinʹjá)
• Spanish: cerdo (es), canalla (es)
• Swedish: svin (sv)

See also

• Appendix:English collective nouns

Etymology 2

Noun

swine

1. (archaic) plural of sow

Anagrams

• Wenis, Wiens, Wines, sewin, sinew, swein, wenis, wines, wisen

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Middle English

Alternative forms

• swin, swein, swynne, zuin, swyn, swyne, sweyne, swiyn, suin, sqwyne

Etymology

From Old English swīn, from Proto-Germanic *swīną.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /swiːn/
• Rhymes: -iːn

Noun

swine (plural swines)

1. A pig, hog or swine.

   • a. 1382, John Wycliffe, “Matheu 7:6”, in Wycliffe's Bible:

     Nile ȝe ȝyue hooli thing to houndis, nethir caſte ȝe ȝoure margaritis bifore ſwyne, leſt perauenture thei defoulen hem with her feet, and the houndis be turned, and al to-tere ȝou.

     You shouldn't give holy things to dogs or throw your pearls towards swine, in case they stomp on them with their feet or the dogs turn around and rip you apart.

2. The meat of swine or pigs; pork.
3. (colloquial) A disgraceful individual.

Synonyms

• pigge
• hog

Descendants

• Scots: swine
• English: swine

References

• “swīn(e (n.)”, in MED Online, Ann Arbor, Mich.: University of Michigan, 2007, retrieved 2018-04-03.