Origin and history of swine

swine(n.)

Old English swin "domestic pig, hog, sow; wild boar" (commonly used in a plural sense, of such animals collectively), from Proto-Germanic *sweina- (source also of Old Saxon, Old Frisian Middle Low German, Old High German swin, Middle Dutch swijn, Dutch zwijn, German Schwein, Old Norse, Swedish, Danish svin), neuter adjective (with suffix *-ino-). This is from PIE *su- "pig" (see sow (n.)).

The native word, it has been largely ousted by pig (n.1). Applied to persons from late 14c., "mean or degraded, sensual and coarse." The phrase pearls before swine (mid-14c.) is from Matthew vii.6; an early English formation of it was:

Ne ge ne wurpen eowre meregrotu toforan eowrum swynon. [c. 1000]

The Latin word in the Gospel verse was confused in French with marguerite "daisy" (the "pearl" of the field), and in Dutch the expression became "roses before swine." Swine-drunk is from 1590s (Nashe). Swine-flu is attested from 1921. Earlier terms for infectious pig diseases include swine-plague (1891); swine-pox was originally "chicken pox" (1520s); it is attested from 1764 as a disease of swine.

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pig(n.1)

Middle English pigge "a young pig" (mid-13c., late 12c. as a surname), probably from Old English *picg, found in compounds, but, like dog, its further etymology unknown. The older general word for adults was swine, if female, sow, if male, boar. Apparently related to Low German bigge, Dutch big ("but the phonology is difficult" -- OED).

By early 14c. pig was used of a swine or hog regardless of age or sex. Applied to persons, usually in contempt, since 1540s; the derogatory meaning "police officer" has been in underworld slang at least since 1811.

The pigs frisked my panney, and nailed my screws; the officers searched my house, and seized my picklock keys. ["Dictionary of Buckish Slang, University Wit and Pickpocket Eloquence," London, 1811]

Another Old English word for the animal was fearh, which is related to furh "furrow," from PIE *perk- "dig, furrow" (source also of Latin porcus "pig," see pork). "This reflects a widespread IE tendency to name animals from typical attributes or activities" [Lass].

Synonyms grunter (1640s), porker (1650s) are from sailors' and fishermen's euphemistic avoidance of uttering the word pig at sea, a superstition perhaps based on the fate of the Gadarene swine, who drowned. The image of a pig in a poke is attested from late 14c. (see poke (n.1)). Flying pigs as a type of something unreal is from 1610s.

sow(n.)

Middle English soue, from Old English sugu, su "female of the swine, adult female hog," from Proto-Germanic *su- (source also of Old Saxon, Old High German su, German Sau, Dutch zeug, Old Norse syr).

This is held to be from PIE root *su- (source also of Sanskrit sukarah "wild boar, swine;" Avestan hu "wild boar;" Greek hys "swine;" Latin sus "swine," swinus "pertaining to swine;" Old Church Slavonic svinija "swine;" Lettish sivens "young pig;" Welsh hucc, Irish suig "swine; Old Irish socc "snout, plowshare"). The root is possibly imitative of pig noise, a notion reinforced by the fact that Sanskrit sukharah means "maker of (the sound) 'su.' "

Related to swine. As a term of abuse for a woman, attested from c. 1500. Sowbug "hog-louse, pill-bug" is from 1750; sow in reference to any terrestrial isopod that can roll itself into a ball is from 15c. Also sow-lice (1650s).

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Origin and history of swine

swine(n.)

Entries linking to swine

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