swagger

Pronunciation

• IPA: /ˈswæɡ.ə/ (UK); /ˈswæɡ.ɚ/ (US)^[1]

Etymology

It is probably a frequentative of swag “to sway”^{[2][3][4][5][6]} with the suffix -er, as in chatter.^[3][5][6]

Earliest recorded meaning

To behave in a blustering or insolent way; to strut (1590).^[7][3][4]

Semantic evolution

The earliest recorded uses are in Shakespeare.^[4] The sense “to boast or brag” is also from the 1590s,^[4][7] and the transitive sense “to bully by blustering” from 1605.^[7][5] The noun, an insolent strut or bluster, followed in 1725,^[3][4][7][5] and an adjective meaning “smart, fashionable” in 1879.^[7][5]

Timeline

• 1590 – to strut or bluster.^[7][3]
• 1597 – to talk blusteringly.^[7][4]
• 1605 – to bully.^[7]
• 1725 – noun, a swaggering manner.^[7][3][4][5]
• 1879 – adjective, smart, showy.^[7][5]

Modern meaning

Verb

1. To walk or behave with an arrogant, self-important air; to strut.
2. To boast or brag.
3. To bully someone by blustering.

Noun

1. A swaggering walk or manner.
2. Arrogant self-assurance or bravado; cockiness.

Adjective

1. (chiefly British) Elegant or showy; posh.

Word family

• swaggerer
• swaggeringly
• swagger coat
• swagger stick

Related words

• swag

Usage notes

Random House refers to strut for a discussion of synonyms.^[6]

References

1. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language (1992), 3rd ed., Boston: Houghton Mifflin
3. ^ a b c d e f Barnhart, Robert K., ed. (1995), The Barnhart Concise Dictionary of Etymology, New York: HarperCollins
4. ^ a b c d e f g Harper, Douglas, Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
5. ^ a b c d e f g Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary (2003), 11th ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
6. ^ a b c Random House Webster's Unabridged Dictionary (1999), 2nd ed., New York: Random House
7. ^ a b c d e f g h i j Simpson, J. A.; Weiner, E. S. C., eds. (1989), The Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Clarendon Press