swain, n.
(sweɪn)
Forms: 2–5 swein, 3–5 sweyn, 4–5 swayn, 4–6 swayne, squayne, Sc. swane, 4–7 swaine, (3 swæin, suein, 4 sueyn, suayn, suain, 5 sweyne, 6 suane), 3, 7– swain.
[a. ON. sveinn boy, servant, attendant, = OE. swán swon. Occurs as the second element of a compound in boatswain (late OE. bátsweᵹen), coxswain.]
† 1. A young man attending on a knight; hence, a man of low degree. (Often coupled with knight.) Obs.
| a 1150 O.E. Chron. (Laud) an. 1128 Se eorl wearð ᵹewunded at an ᵹefiht fram anne swein. c 1205 Lay. 19156 Næs þer nan swa wracche swein Þat he nes a wel god þein. Ibid. 28563 ælc sloh adun riht Weore he swein weore he cniht. a 1300 Cursor M. 6279 (Cott.) King ne knight, suier ne suain [Gött. suayn, Fairf. squayne, Trin. sweyn]. 13.. Guy Warw. (A.) 234 Þai sett hem to mete anon, Erl, baroun, sweyn, & grom. 1375 Barbour Bruce v. 235 Quhill I liff, and may haf mycht To lede a ȝheman or a swane. c 1425 Wyntoun Cron. ix. vii. 904 For ellis alsweil may be slayne A mychty man, as may a swayne. c 1430 Syr Tryam. 546 Knyghtys, squyers, and swayne. c 1572 Gascoigne Posies, Fruites Warre cx, In regiment..Where officers..Shall be abusde by euery page and swayne. |
† 2. A male servant, serving-man; an attendant, follower. Obs.
| c 1205 Lay. 3505 Forð wende þe king Leir, Nauede he bute enne swein. c 1386 Chaucer Reeve's T. 107 Hym boes serue hym selne that has na swayn. c 1430 Hymns Virg. (1867) 44 Worschipe me here, & bicome my swayn, And y schal ȝeue þee al this. 1568 Hist. Jacob & Esau v. ii. F iij, The elder must nowe serue the yonger as his swayne. 1570 Levins Manip. 200 A squayne, assecla. 1579 Spenser Sheph. Cal. Sept. 42 The shepheards swayne you cannot well ken, But it be by his pryde, from other men. 1623 Cockeram, Swaine, a seruant. |
† 3. A man; a youth; a boy. Obs.
| a 1300 Cursor M. 18987 (Gött.) Of mi gast i sal a streme To suayn [Trin. mon] and womman giue alsua. [Cf. Joel ii. 29.] 13.. E.E. Allit. P. B. 1509 Swyfte swaynes ful swyþe swepen þertylle. c 1386 Chaucer Sir Thopas 13 Sire Thopas wax a doghty swayn. c 1400 Laud Troy Bk. 15265 How sche myght venge hir on that swayn That hadde hir two sones sclayn. c 1440 York Myst. xvii. 207 Nowe shall þei..tell me of þat litill swayne [sc. the child Jesus]. a 1508 Dunbar Tua Mariit Wemen 226 Thus beswik I that swane, with my sueit wordis. 1579 Spenser Sheph. Cal. Mar. 79 With that sprong forth a naked swayne [sc. Cupid]. 1633 P. Fletcher Purple Isl. xii. lxv, By a mighty swain he [sc. the Dragon] soon was led Unto a thousand thousand torturings. |
4. A country or farm labourer, freq. a shepherd; a countryman, rustic. arch.
| 1579 Gosson Apol. Sch. Abuse (Arb.) 66 Giue them whippes in their handes, and sende them like swaynes to plough and carte. 1590 Spenser F.Q. iii. vi. 15 The gentle Shepheard swaynes, which sat Keeping their fleecie flockes. 1594 Kyd Cornelia iii. ii. 39 Lyke morall Esops mysled Country swaine. 1611 Shakes. Wint. T. iv. iv. 9 Your high selfe..you haue obscur'd With a Swaines wearing. 1663 Patrick Parab. Pilgr. xxix. (1687) 341 Those Swains with their Sheephooks in their hands. 1746 Smollett Tears Scotl. 13 Thy swains are famish'd on the rocks, Where once they fed their wanton flocks. 1770 Goldsm. Des. Vill. 2 Where health and plenty cheered the labouring swain. 1809 Campbell Gert. Wyom. i. ii, The happy Shepherd Swains had nought to do But feed their flocks. 1840 Thackeray Paris Sk.-bk. (1872) 111 The rural swains. 1892 Tennyson in Ld. Tennyson Mem. (1897) II. xxii. 402, I asked my way..of a Yorkshire ‘swain’. |
5. A country gallant or lover; hence gen. a lover, wooer, sweetheart, esp. in pastoral poetry.
| c 1585 Fair Em ii. i. 78 In deede my Manuile hath some cause to doubt, When such a Swaine is riuall in his loue! 1591 Shakes. Two Gent. iv. ii. 40 Who is Siluia? what is she? That all our Swaines commend her? 1662 Playford Skill Mus. i. (1674) 67 Will Cloris cast her Sun-bright Eye Upon so mean a Swain as I? 1697 Dryden Virg. Past. iii. 104 To the dear Mistress of my Love-sick Mind, Her Swain a pretty Present has design'd. 1706 Addison Rosamond ii. ii, To be slain By a barbarous swain That laughs at your pain. 1775 Sheridan Duenna i. v, So! my swain, yonder, has done admiring himself. 1822 W. Irving Braceb. Hall iv. 38 Should any faithless swain persist in his inconstancy. 1864 F. Locker Housemaid viii, If her Sunday-swain is one Who's fond of strolling. 1881 ‘Rita’ My Lady Coquette iii, She gives such smiles, and looks, and attentions to her devoted swains. |
¶ 6. A freeholder within the forest. (A sense invented by Manwood to account for swanimote.)
| 1615 J. Manwood Laws Forest xxiii. 217 This word Swaine, in the Saxons speech is a Bookeland man, which at this day is taken for a Charterar or a freeholder: and so the Swanimote is in English, a Court within the Forest, whereunto all the freeholders doe owe suit and seruice. 1768 Blackstone Comm. iii. vi. 72 The court of sweinmote is to be holden before the verderors, as judges,..the sweins or freeholders within the forest composing the jury. 1880 Whitworth in Antiquary Feb. 94/1 Swanimote, Swaynmote, Swynmote, &c., or meeting of the Forest Swains. |
7. attrib. and Comb. (in sense 4); † swainloaf (see 2), bread to be eaten by servants, as opposed to pain-demaine, ‘panis dominicus’ (lord's bread).
| 1358 Catal. Anc. Deeds A. 9847 (1902) IV. 469 [Black loaves called] swaynloves. a 1652 Brome Love sick Court iv. ii, The chief Swain heads of Thessaly. 1842 Dumfries Herald Oct., More swain-like than king-like. |
Hence swain v. intr. (with it), to play the lover or wooer; † ˈswainess, a female lover; ˈswaining, love-making, ‘spooning’.
| a 1652 Brome Love sick Court v. iii, That swain-ess was myself. 1840 Lady C. Bury Hist. of Flirt xi, He is impatient to swain it with some new face. 1840 Mrs. Trollope M. Armstrong i, His general manner to ladies had a good deal of what in female slang is called swaining. |