Wordsmith.org: the magic of words


A.Word.A.Day

About | Media | Search | Contact  


Home

Today's Word

Subscribe

Archives



May 24, 2023
This week’s theme
Metaphors & idioms

This week’s words
baloney
daisy cutter
swan song
haircut
Piccadilly Circus

swan song
Schwanengesang (Swan Song)
14 songs, written by the Austrian composer Franz Schubert (1797-1828) before he died at the age of 31, published posthumously

Bookmark and Share Facebook Twitter Digg MySpace Bookmark and Share
A.Word.A.Day
with Anu Garg

swan song or swansong

PRONUNCIATION:
(SWAN song)

MEANING:
noun: A farewell or final performance, appearance, or accomplishment.

ETYMOLOGY:
From the ancient belief that swans sang before dying. From Old English swan. Ultimately from the Indo-European root swen- (to sound), which also gave us sound, sonic, sonnet, sonata, and unison. Earliest documented use: 1596.

USAGE:
“Although Gadsby meant ‘Nanette’ to be a kind of swan song, she was so jazzed by its success that she came out of her brief retirement.”
Hilton Als; Only Disconnect; The New Yorker; Jul 29, 2019.

See more usage examples of swan song in Vocabulary.com’s dictionary.

A THOUGHT FOR TODAY:
It is the people who scream the loudest about America and Freedom who seem to be the most intolerant for a differing point of view. -Rosanne Cash, singer-songwriter and author (b. 24 May 1955)

We need your help

Help us continue to spread the magic of words to readers everywhere

Donate

Subscriber Services
Awards | Stats | Links | Privacy Policy
Contribute | Advertise

© 1994-2024 Wordsmith