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Swine
01
the animal species, especially domesticated pigs
Grammatical Information
Animacy status
Animal
Composition
Simple
Countable
Plural form
swine
Examples
The farmer raised swine for their meat and leather.
02
a person regarded as greedy, filthy, or morally contemptible
Informal
Offensive
What is the origin of the term "swine" and how is it used?
"Swine" is a slang term used to describe a person regarded as greedy, filthy, or morally contemptible. It comes from the literal pig, an animal long associated with dirt, gluttony, and base behavior, and has been used metaphorically in English since at least the Middle Ages. The term was often applied in religious, moral, or literary contexts to condemn vice or corruption. Today, it remains strongly derogatory and is used in informal, critical, or hostile contexts to insult someone's character, behavior, or cleanliness.
Examples
They shoved past him, calling him a swine.
Lexical Tree
swinish
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