swan song

See also: swansong

English

WOTD – 22 March 2006

Alternative forms

swansong

Etymology

Calque of German Schwanenlied[1](from Schwan + Lied) or Schwanengesang[2]; from the belief that the mute swan sings before dying.

Pronunciation

Audio (AU) (file)

Noun

swan song (plural swan songs)

(idiomatic) A final performance or accomplishment, especially one before retirement.

Synonyms

Translations

a final performance

Arabic: please add this translation if you can
Chinese:
Mandarin: please add this translation if you can
Czech: labutí píseň (cs)
Danish: svanesang (da) c
Dutch: zwanenzang (nl) m
Esperanto: cignokanto
Estonian: luigelaul
Finnish: joutsenlaulu (fi)
French: chant du cygne (fr) m
German: Schwanengesang (de) m
Greek: κύκνειο άσμα (el) n (kýkneio ásma)
Hebrew: שירת הברבור‎

Hungarian: hattyúdal (hu)
Icelandic: svanasöngur
Italian: canto del cigno m
Japanese: 絶唱 (zesshou)
Korean: 절창 (jeolchang)
Northern Sami: svanesång
Norwegian:
Bokmål: svanesang m

Nynorsk: svanesong m
Polish: łabędzi śpiew (pl)
Portuguese: canto do cisne (pt) m, canto de cisne m, canção do cisne f, canção de cisne f
Russian: лебеди́ная пе́сня (ru) f (lebedínaja pésnja)
Swedish: svanesång (sv) c

References

"swan song", Webster's Third New International Dictionary
A Way With Words

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