A Swede is a person from Sweden, a country in northern Europe known for its long winters, beautiful forests, and innovative design. If you meet someone from Stockholm or any other Swedish city, they're a Swede. The country has given the world many inventions, from dynamite (invented by Alfred Nobel, who later created the Nobel Prize) to flat-pack furniture from IKEA.

Sweden sits on the Scandinavian Peninsula alongside Norway, and Swedish people speak Swedish, a language related to Norwegian and Danish. Historically, the Swedes were seafaring people connected to the Vikings, and later built a powerful kingdom that once controlled much of northern Europe.

The word can also refer to a root vegetable called a swede (or rutabaga in American English). This round, purple and yellow vegetable grows well in cold climates and tastes slightly sweet when cooked. It's popular in traditional Scandinavian cooking.

When you capitalize Swede, you're talking about the person. When it's lowercase swede, you're usually talking about the vegetable.