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swine

Etymology and origin of the English word swine

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Pronunciation

  • IPA: /swaɪn/[1]

Etymology

It is inherited from Middle English swine, inherited from Old English swīn,[2][3][4][5][6] from Proto-Germanic *swīną,[3][4] originally an adjective formed from the Proto-Indo-European word for “pig” that also gave sow.[2][4][5][6] It is related to German Schwein, Dutch zwijn, Gothic 𐍃𐍅𐌴𐌹𐌽 (swein) and Latin suīnus “of swine”.[3][4][6]

Earliest recorded meaning

A pig, hog or wild boar, often used collectively in the plural sense (c. 725).[7][3][4]

Semantic evolution

The native word has been largely replaced by pig in ordinary use,[4] and swine is now used mainly in farming contexts and as a collective noun, as in two hundred head of swine.[1] Applied to people, it has meant a sensual, degraded or coarse person since about 1380,[7][4] and is now a general term of contempt.[7][2] The phrase pearls before swine comes from the Gospel of Matthew.[4][7]

Timeline

  • c. 725 – a pig or hog.[7][3]
  • before 1100 – swineherd.[3]
  • c. 1380 – a coarse or degraded person.[7][4]
  • 1921 – swine flu.[4]

Modern meaning

Noun

  1. Any of various stout-bodied, short-legged mammals of the family Suidae, such as pigs, hogs and boars, with thick skin and a movable snout.
  2. A contemptible, brutish or coarse person.

Word family

  • swineherd
  • swinish
  • swine fever
  • swine flu
  • sow
  • pig
  • hog
  • porcine

References

  1. ^ a b Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c 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 h i j Harper, Douglas, Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
  5. ^ a b 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 Simpson, J. A.; Weiner, E. S. C., eds. (1989), The Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Clarendon Press

Related etymologies

Cite this entry

“Swine.” Etymologically, 11 Oct. 2026, etymologically.com/en/swine. Accessed 11 Oct. 2026.

Last edited on . ·