noun
swine
swyn
noun
1
A pig, especially a domesticated one raised for farming.
"The farm kept several dozen swine in the back paddock."
2
A contemptible or unpleasant person.
"He called his ex-business partner a swine after the betrayal."
How to Use Swine
Learner’s notesIn plain EnglishA pig, or, insultingly, a horrible person.
When to use it
The insult sense is old-fashioned and mostly used in British English.
Common pairings
a herd of swine
you swine
Word Forms
swine plural, swines plural
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The farm kept several dozen _____ in the back paddock.
Etymology
From Old English swin, "pig" — an ancient word going back to a shared Indo-European root for the animal, related to the Latin sus and Greek hys.