• Swift

    Pronunciation

    Origin

    From Middle English, from Old English swift ("swift, quick"), from Proto-Germanic *swiftaz ("swift, quick"), from Proto-Indo-European *(s)weip-, *(s)weib- ("to twist, wind around"). Cognate with Icelandic svipta ("to pull quickly"), Old English swīfan ("to revolve, sweep, wend, intervene"). More at swivel.

    Full definition of swift

    Adjective

    swift

    1. fast; quick; rapid.
      • 2011, November 12, , International friendly: England 1-0 Spain, Spain were provoked into a response and Villa almost provided a swift equaliser when he rounded Hart but found the angle too acute and could only hit the side-netting.
    2. Capable of moving at high speeds.

    Noun

    swift

    (plural swifts)
    1. (obsolete) The current of a stream.
    2. A small plain-colored bird of the family Apodidae that resembles a swallow and is noted for its rapid flight. Other commom names for the birds of this family include swiftlet, needletail and spinetail.
    3. Some lizards of the genus .
    4. A moth of the family , swift moth, ghost moth.
      • 2013, William E. Conner, An Acoustic Arms Race, Earless ghost swift moths become “invisible” to echolocating bats by forming mating clusters close (less than half a meter) above vegetation and effectively blending into the clutter of echoes that the bat receives from the leaves and stems around them.

    Synonyms

    Derived terms

    Derived terms

    Adverb

    swift

    1. (obsolete, poetic) Swiftly.

    Synonyms

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