swift

From Wiktionary, the free dictionary
Jump to navigation Jump to search
See also: SWIFT and Swift

English

[edit]
English Wikipedia has an article on:
Wikipedia

Etymology

[edit]

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

Pronunciation

[edit]

Adjective

[edit]

swift (comparative swifter, superlative swiftest)

  1. Fast; quick; rapid.
    • 2011 November 12, “International friendly: England 1-0 Spain”, in BBC Sport[1]:
      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.

Derived terms

[edit]
[edit]

Translations

[edit]

Noun

[edit]
English Wikipedia has an article on:
Wikipedia
English Wikipedia has an article on:
Wikipedia

swift (plural swifts)

  1. A small plain-colored bird of the family Apodidae that resembles a swallow and is noted for its rapid flight.
    Synonyms: needletail, spinetail, swiftlet
  2. Any of certain lizards of the genus Sceloporus.
    Synonym: fence lizard, spiny lizard
    • 1965 March, Boys' Life, page 52:
      As a guide to start your collection we'd suggest either iguanas, tejus, swifts, basilisks, horned toads or alligator lizards.
  3. (entomology) A moth of the family Hepialidae, swift moth, ghost moth.
  4. (entomology) Any of various fast-flying hesperiid butterflies.
    • 2013 May-June, William E. Conner, “An Acoustic Arms Race”, in American Scientist, volume 101, number 3, pages 206–7:
      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.
  5. (textiles) A light, collapsible reel used to hold a hank of yarn in order to wind off skeins or balls.
  6. The main cylinder of a carding-machine.
  7. (obsolete) The current of a stream.

Derived terms

[edit]

Translations

[edit]

Adverb

[edit]

swift (comparative more swift, superlative most swift)

  1. (obsolete, poetic) Swiftly.

Synonyms

[edit]

Derived terms

[edit]

Old English

[edit]

Etymology

[edit]

From the verb swīfan.

Pronunciation

[edit]

Adjective

[edit]

swift (comparative swiftra, superlative swiftost)

  1. swift, quick

Declension

[edit]

Derived terms

[edit]

Descendants

[edit]
  • English: swift