Where does “swan” come from?

Swan comes from Old English swān, from Proto-Indo-European s(w)e-, a root of uncertain ultimate origin and meaning.

swan (English): Any of various species of large, long-necked...

Definitions

  1. Any of various species of large, long-necked...

Ancestry of “swan”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle Englishswanswan; The meat of a swan; A swan as a heraldic...
2Old Englishswānswineherd, lad
3Proto-West Germanicswanswan
4Proto-Germanicswanazswan
5Proto-Indo-Europeanswenh₂-to sound
Every word from Proto-Indo-European swenh₂-Every word from Proto-Germanic swanazEvery word from Proto-West Germanic swan