The original Ugly Duckling: cygnets are brownish (as opposed to white) funny-looking nascient swans. Lose their color in the second year. Oh, yes, the word sounds like "signet", not 'syn-yet'.

Cyg"net (s?g"n?t), n. [Dim. of F. cygne swan, L. cycnus. cygnus, fr. Gr. : but F. cugne seems to be an etymological spelling of OF. cisne, fr. LL. cecinus, cicinus, perh. ultimately also fr. Gr. .] Zool.

A young swan.

Shak.

 

© Webster 1913.

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