ˈswān noun
( -s )
Etymology: Middle English swain, swayne, swein boy, servant, from Old Norse sveinn; akin to Old English swān herdsman, peasant, swain, Old High German swein herdsman, swain, gi swīo brother-in-law, Lithuanian svaine sister-in-law, Latin suus one's own — more at suicide
1. obsolete : boy , man
2. : one who lives and works in the country : rustic , peasant
the sluggish clod, which the rude swain turns with his share — W.C.Bryant
specifically : shepherd
3. : a male admirer or suitor
the many swains … besieging her from every noon to every midnight — Upton Sinclair
4. : one having a freehold within a forest