What DOES "swine" mean? It means 'pig'. Is this an old word and do people use this now? Yes, it's an old word. We very rarely use it to refer to the animal in modern English. You will only come across pigs referred to as 'swine' in old-fashioned texts. Could it describe a person？ Yes - this is how we use 'swine' these days. It is quite a strong word used to describe a person who treats other people very badly. A swine is a male pig, so it's generally used to describe men. For example: "Did you know that Jane has left her husband?" "It doesn't surprise me. He was a complete swine, from what I heard."

I haven't called anyone a 'swine' for years! It used to be more common. I guess it has gone a little out of fashion. But I rather like it, so I may start calling people I don't like, "swine!" (But probably not to their face!) The word 'swine'; is still used with reference to pigs. Swine fever is a contagious disease of pigs. Swine feed is pig food.

Yes it is current It literally means a male pig. Yes it is used in an insulting way. 'That swine cheated me" Do not call anyone a swine directly.

Off topic, but I really think I need to tell a joke. Unfortunately it takes a little explanation. In the traditional English translation of the Bible, a verse reads "Give not that which is holy unto the dogs, neither cast ye your pearls before swine, lest they trample them." The phrase "to cast pearls before swine" has entered the language as a stock phrase, meaning don't share things with people who can't appreciate them. This underlines, by the way, that we think of "swine" as "the kind of word you know from Shakespeare or the Bible." In the traditional US (patriarchal, male chauvinist, pre-feminist, socially conservative) cultural tradition, it is polite to open a door for someone, or hold a door open, as a sign of respect. Thus, the order with which people go through a door is a mark of social hierarchy. Thus, traditionally men hold open doors for women (occasionally saying "Ladies first!" Or, as we used to say in elementary school, "Ladies first, they're the worst!"), and people hold doors for older people. Of course, and again according to patriarchal-etc. tradition--women want to appear young. The story goes that Clare Booth Luce and Dorothy Parker (never mind who they were) were vicious rivals who liked to insult each other. Clare Booth Luce held the door open for Dorothy Parker, saying sweetly "Age before beauty." This is also a stock phrase, but of course here it was an insult because Luce was saying that she was young and beautiful and Parker was old and ugly. Parker immediately retorted, "Pearls before swine."

In everyday speech, it's outdated. But "swine" is still commonly used nowadays by people who actually work with swine; that is, it's a technical term used by farmers. They make a distinction between a "pig" and a "hog," and know what "gilts" and "barrows" are, and can tell you if a hog is a Duroc or a Poland China. To professionals, "swine" is the general term (corresponding to "pigs" in ordinary English).* Thus, the University of Wisconsin, School of Agriculture and Life Sciences, Department of Animal Science, operates "The UW Swine Research & Teaching Center (SRTC)," and says "This facility is dedicated to promoting a progressive swine industry in Wisconsin and the Midwest." In the United States, "swine" as an insult is comically old-fashioned and would only be used as a joke--we would not call someone "swinish." Notice that the standard way farmers call hogs is with variations on calls like "Soo-eeee! Soo-eeee! Pig-pig-pig-pig-pig!" One has to feel that the "w" in "swine" is a double U, and that the word is about the same as the Latin "Suis..." and that the farmers are either calling pigs in Latin or that pigs naturally respond to the call "Soooo--eeeee" and that has something to do with the word "swine." *For a guide to swine terminology: http://littlepigfarm.com/swine-terminology/