one swallow does not a summer make en · X
Pronunciation
- (Southern-England) audio
Etymology
Calque of Ancient Greek μία χελιδὼν ἔαρ οὐ ποιεῖ (mía khelidṑn éar ou poieî), part of a remark found in Aristotle's Nicomachean Ethics (1098a18: “one swallow does not a spring make, nor one fine day; similarly one day or brief time of happiness does not make a person entirely happy”), itself inspired by the fable The Young Man and the Swallow by Aesop. The proverb is an allusion to the migration of swallows to Europe during spring. The unexpected translation of ἔαρ (éar) (meaning "spring") as "summer" seen in English is also encountered in many other languages, such as Dutch een zwaluw maakt nog geen zomer and German eine Schwalbe macht noch keinen Sommer (note the descendants at the Ancient Greek entry). The unusual English word order (in use from circa 1920) may be intended to reflect the Greek word order, or it may be influenced by the line “Stone walls do not a prison make,” from To Althea, from Prison by Richard Lovelace (1642).
Meanings
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One instance of an event (such as the arrival of a single bird) does not necessarily indicate a trend.
One swallow does not a summer make and one football game doesn't make a season.
1969 September 19, Bob Johnson, “Sports: September Madness”, in Spokane Daily Chronicle, page 15:One swallow does not a summer make, nor one onion a spring garden.
1921 April 4, “Smile a While”, in The Day, retrieved 29 Nov 2011, page 6:Added one Western diplomat: "Aquino's success undoubtedly weakens the Communists' appeal to the so-called mass base. But one swallow does not a summer make."
2001 June 24, Susan Tifft, “The Philippines: Now the Hard Part”, in Time, archived from the original on 12 Aug 2009:[T]hough one swallow does not make a summer, one engagement is apt to make several, and her boys were, most of them, at the inflammable age when a spark ignites the flame[.]
1886, Louisa M[ay] Alcott, chapter 9, in Jo’s Boys, and How They Turned Out. A Sequel to “Little Men.”, Boston, Mass.: Roberts Brothers, →OCLC:
Relateds
Translations (39)
sh jedna lasta ne čini proljeće (one instance of an event does not necessarily indicate a trend) · nl één ooievaar maakt nog geen zomer (one instance of an event does not necessarily indicate a trend) · fi ei yksi pääsky kesää tee (one instance of an event does not necessarily indicate a trend) · cs jedna vlaštovka jaro nedělá (one instance of an event does not necessarily indicate a trend) · nl een zwaluw maakt nog geen lente (one instance of an event does not necessarily indicate a trend) · ro cu o floare nu se face primăvară (one instance of an event does not necessarily indicate a trend) · nl één zwaluw maakt de lente niet (one instance of an event does not necessarily indicate a trend) · cmn 獨燕不成夏 /独燕不成夏 (one instance of an event does not necessarily indicate a trend) · es una golondrina no hace verano (one instance of an event does not necessarily indicate a trend) · vi một con én không làm nên mùa xuân (one instance of an event does not necessarily indicate a trend) · eo unu kukolo printempon ne venigas (one instance of an event does not necessarily indicate a trend) · cmn 一燕不成夏 (one instance of an event does not necessarily indicate a trend) · bg една птичка пролет не прави (one instance of an event does not necessarily indicate a trend) · nb én svale gjør ingen sommer (one instance of an event does not necessarily indicate a trend) · ka ერთი ენძელა გაზაფხულს ვერ მოიყვანს (one instance of an event does not necessarily indicate a trend) · ca una flor no fa estiu (one instance of an event does not necessarily indicate a trend) · grc μία χελιδὼν ἔαρ οὐ ποιεῖ (one instance of an event does not necessarily indicate a trend) · de eine Schwalbe macht noch keinen Sommer (one instance of an event does not necessarily indicate a trend) · cy un wennol ni wna wanwyn (one instance of an event does not necessarily indicate a trend) · ru пе́рвая ла́сточка весны́ не де́лает (one instance of an event does not necessarily indicate a trend) · fr une hirondelle ne fait pas le printemps (one instance of an event does not necessarily indicate a trend) · pl jedna jaskółka wiosny nie czyni (one instance of an event does not necessarily indicate a trend) · hu egy fecske nem csinál nyarat (one instance of an event does not necessarily indicate a trend) · pt uma andorinha só não faz verão (one instance of an event does not necessarily indicate a trend) · sh једна ласта не чини прољеће (one instance of an event does not necessarily indicate a trend) · gl unha anduriña soa non fai verán (one instance of an event does not necessarily indicate a trend) · sv en svala gör ingen sommar (one instance of an event does not necessarily indicate a trend) · sk jedna lastovička leto nerobí (one instance of an event does not necessarily indicate a trend) · nn ein svale gjer ingen sommar (one instance of an event does not necessarily indicate a trend) · el ένα χελιδόνι δεν φέρνει την άνοιξη (one instance of an event does not necessarily indicate a trend) · vi một con nhạn không làm nên mùa xuân (one instance of an event does not necessarily indicate a trend) · de einmal ist keinmal (one instance of an event does not necessarily indicate a trend) · cmn 孤燕不成夏 (one instance of an event does not necessarily indicate a trend) · da én svale gør ingen sommer (one instance of an event does not necessarily indicate a trend) · nl een zwaluw maakt nog geen zomer (one instance of an event does not necessarily indicate a trend) · ko 한 마리의 제비가 왔다고 봄이 온 것은 아니다 (one instance of an event does not necessarily indicate a trend) · gd cha dèan aon smeòrach samhradh (one instance of an event does not necessarily indicate a trend) · it una rondine non fa primavera (one instance of an event does not necessarily indicate a trend) · hy մի ծաղկով գարուն չի գա (one instance of an event does not necessarily indicate a trend)
wikipedia: Richard Lovelace · wikipedia: To Althea, from Prison · wikipedia: Aesop · wikipedia: Aristotle · wikipedia: Nicomachean Ethics · wikipedia: The Young Man and the Swallow