swan的词源
英文词源
- swan
- swan: [OE] Swan is a general Germanic word, with relatives in German schwan, Dutch zwaan, Swedish svan, and Danish svane. These all come from a prehistoric base *swan-, which may go back ultimately to Indo-European *swon-, *swen- ‘make sound’ (source of Latin sonus ‘sound’, from which English gets sound). If it does, the swan was originally named for the (admittedly rather unmusical) sound it makes.
=> sound - swan (n.)
- Old English swan "swan," from Proto-Germanic *swanaz "singer" (cognates: Old Saxon swan, Old Norse svanr, Danish svane, Swedish svan, Middle Dutch swane, Dutch zwaan, Old High German swan, German Schwan), probably literally "the singing bird," from PIE root *swen- "to sing, make sound" (see sound (n.1)); thus related to Old English geswin "melody, song" and swinsian "to make melody."
In classical mythology, sacred to Apollo and to Venus. The singing of swans before death was alluded to by Chaucer (late 14c.), but swan-song (1831) is a translation of German Schwanengesang. The ancient Indo-European mythical swan-maiden so called by mythographers from 1829. Swan pe is recorded from 1898. A black swan was proverbial for "something extremely rare or non-existent" (late 14c.), after Juvenal ["Sat." vi. 164], but later they turned up in Australia (Chenopsis atratus).
"Do you say no worthy wife is to be found among all these crowds?" Well, let her be handsome, charming, rich and fertile; let her have ancient ancestors ranged about her halls; let her be more chaste than all the dishevelled Sabine maidens who stopped the war--a prodigy as rare upon the earth as a black swan! yet who could endure a wife that possessed all perfections? I would rather have a Venusian wench for my wife than you, O Cornelia, mother of the Gracchi, if, with all your virtues, you bring me a haughty brow, and reckon up Triumphs as part of your marriage portion. [Juvenal]
中文词源
人们喜爱天鹅，不仅因其洁白如玉的羽翼，也在于它令人动容的忧郁歌声。单词swan可能来自印欧词根*swon-（发出声音），这也是sound（声音）的词源。与之同源的词根son-（声音）颇有所出，如resonance（共鸣）。由于m、n音变有例可循，所以也可将其与swim联想串记。
该词的英语词源请访问找单词词源英文版：swan 词源，swan 含义。
来自古英语 swan,天鹅，来自 Proto-Germanic*swanaz,天鹅，歌者，来自 PIE*swen,唱歌，发 出声音，词源同 sound.可能是因为传说中天鹅在临死之前会发出美妙的歌声而得名。
