| 释义 |
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.
a1150O.E. Chron. (Laud) an. 1128 Se eorl wearð ᵹewunded at an ᵹefiht fram anne swein. c1205Lay. 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. a1300Cursor 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. 1375Barbour Bruce v. 235 Quhill I liff, and may haf mycht To lede a ȝheman or a swane. c1425Wyntoun Cron. ix. vii. 904 For ellis alsweil may be slayne A mychty man, as may a swayne. c1430Syr Tryam. 546 Knyghtys, squyers, and swayne. c1572Gascoigne 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.
c1205Lay. 3505 Forð wende þe king Leir, Nauede he bute enne swein. c1386Chaucer Reeve's T. 107 Hym boes serue hym selne that has na swayn. c1430Hymns Virg. (1867) 44 Worschipe me here, & bicome my swayn, And y schal ȝeue þee al this. 1568Hist. Jacob & Esau v. ii. F iij, The elder must nowe serue the yonger as his swayne. 1570Levins Manip. 200 A squayne, assecla. 1579Spenser Sheph. Cal. Sept. 42 The shepheards swayne you cannot well ken, But it be by his pryde, from other men. 1623Cockeram, Swaine, a seruant.
†3. A man; a youth; a boy. Obs.
a1300Cursor 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. c1386Chaucer Sir Thopas 13 Sire Thopas wax a doghty swayn. c1400Laud Troy Bk. 15265 How sche myght venge hir on that swayn That hadde hir two sones sclayn. c1440York Myst. xvii. 207 Nowe shall þei..tell me of þat litill swayne [sc. the child Jesus]. a1508Dunbar Tua Mariit Wemen 226 Thus beswik I that swane, with my sueit wordis. 1579Spenser Sheph. Cal. Mar. 79 With that sprong forth a naked swayne [sc. Cupid]. 1633P. 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.
1579Gosson Apol. Sch. Abuse (Arb.) 66 Giue them whippes in their handes, and sende them like swaynes to plough and carte. 1590Spenser F.Q. iii. vi. 15 The gentle Shepheard swaynes, which sat Keeping their fleecie flockes. 1594Kyd Cornelia iii. ii. 39 Lyke morall Esops mysled Country swaine. 1611Shakes. Wint. T. iv. iv. 9 Your high selfe..you haue obscur'd With a Swaines wearing. 1663Patrick Parab. Pilgr. xxix. (1687) 341 Those Swains with their Sheephooks in their hands. 1746Smollett Tears Scotl. 13 Thy swains are famish'd on the rocks, Where once they fed their wanton flocks. 1770Goldsm. Des. Vill. 2 Where health and plenty cheered the labouring swain. 1809Campbell Gert. Wyom. i. ii, The happy Shepherd Swains had nought to do But feed their flocks. 1840Thackeray Paris Sk.-bk. (1872) 111 The rural swains. 1892Tennyson 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.
c1585Fair Em ii. i. 78 In deede my Manuile hath some cause to doubt, When such a Swaine is riuall in his loue! 1591Shakes. Two Gent. iv. ii. 40 Who is Siluia? what is she? That all our Swaines commend her? 1662Playford Skill Mus. i. (1674) 67 Will Cloris cast her Sun-bright Eye Upon so mean a Swain as I? 1697Dryden Virg. Past. iii. 104 To the dear Mistress of my Love-sick Mind, Her Swain a pretty Present has design'd. 1706Addison Rosamond ii. ii, To be slain By a barbarous swain That laughs at your pain. 1775Sheridan Duenna i. v, So! my swain, yonder, has done admiring himself. 1822W. Irving Braceb. Hall iv. 38 Should any faithless swain persist in his inconstancy. 1864F. 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.)
1615J. 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. 1768Blackstone 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. 1880Whitworth 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).
1358Catal. Anc. Deeds A. 9847 (1902) IV. 469 [Black loaves called] swaynloves. a1652Brome Love sick Court iv. ii, The chief Swain heads of Thessaly. 1842Dumfries 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’.
a1652Brome Love sick Court v. iii, That swain-ess was myself. 1840Lady C. Bury Hist. of Flirt xi, He is impatient to swain it with some new face. 1840Mrs. Trollope M. Armstrong i, His general manner to ladies had a good deal of what in female slang is called swaining. |