Swan
WordNet
noun
(1) Stately heavy-bodied aquatic bird with very long neck and usually white plumage as adult
verb
(2) To declare or affirm solemnly and formally as true
"Before God I swear I am innocent"
(3) Sweep majestically
"Airplanes were swanning over the mountains"
(4) 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"
WiktionaryText
Etymology
From , from a Proto-Germanic root *swanaz (thus cognate with Old Saxon swan, Old Norse svanr, Dutch zwaan, German Schwan), probably literally "the singing bird," from a Proto-Indo-European base *swon-/*swen- "to sing, make sound" (thus related to Old English geswin "melody, song" and swinsian "to make melody")
Noun
- (plural also 'swan') Any of various species of large, long-necked waterfowl, of genus Cygnus, most of which have white plumage.
- One whose grace etc. suggests a swan