a fair maiden and her swain a romanticized portrait of a bygone era of beauteous Southern belles and their gallant swains
Recent Examples on the WebThere’s intrigue upstairs and down: Will Lady Mary (Michelle Dockery) be loyal to her absentee husband or succumb to the attentions of a flirty swain? Stephanie Zacharek, Time, 18 May 2022 In this idyllic arbor, our young maiden, Queenie, met her swain, Mr. Darcy. Kevin Fisher-paulson, San Francisco Chronicle, 17 May 2022 Aaron Tveit plays a sweet-talking swain who tries to steal away Melissa through song, much to the chagrin of the musicals-hating Josh. Patrick Ryan, USA TODAY, 19 July 2021 Maleficent is jilted by a swain who prefers power to love. Stephanie Zacharek, Time, 26 May 2021 Harley, however, has now split with her grinning swain and gone solo. Anthony Lane, The New Yorker, 7 Feb. 2020 Still, Pattinson is something to see as the confident 19th-century swain — so confident, in fact, that his all-American optimism starts to seem like a threat. Ty Burr, BostonGlobe.com, 27 June 2018 The film shifts to mechanical manipulation, though, shortly after Rossano Brazzi makes his appearance as Hepburn's swain. Patrick Friel, Chicago Reader, 8 May 2018 Ere long a torch song singer was crooning some Jazz Age hits and the dance floor was crowded with flappers in fringed black shimmy frocks and their tuxedoed swains, giving us full-on Chicago in New York. Hamish Bowles, Vogue, 9 Apr. 2018 See More
Word History
Etymology
Middle English swein boy, servant, from Old Norse sveinn; akin to Old English swān swain, Latin suus one's own — more at suicide