swift

Meaning

Adj

1. Fast; quick; rapid.
2. Capable of moving at high speeds.

Adv

Swiftly.

Noun

1. A small plain-colored bird of the family Apodidae that resembles a swallow and is noted for its rapid flight.
2. Any of certain lizards of the genus Sceloporus.
3. A moth of the family Hepialidae, swift moth, ghost moth.
4. Any of various fast-flying hesperiid butterflies.
5. 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.

Synonyms

quick

fast

rapid

speedy

prompt

fleet

expeditious

agile

express

nimble

quickly

blue-belly

energetic

Sceloporus occidentalis

light-footed

western fence lizard

deft

flying

gallop

hasty

valiant

adroit

common swift

hurry

impetuous

lively

spry

strong

summary

swallow

cursory

cylinder

spanking

sudden

suddenly

sweeping

swifter

swiftest

terrible

torrent

triumph

😤

vigorous

violent

voluminous

yare

zealous

alate

fast-flying

fleet-footed

swift-footed

Translations

rapide

schnell

rapido

martinet

rápido

snel

rasch

geschwind

rápido

vencejo

gauw

gierzwaluw

veloce

rondone

gezwind

Pronounced as (IPA)

/swɪft/

Etymology

Inherited from Middle English: swift

Inherited from Old English: swift

Cognate with Icelandic: svipta

Cognate with Old English: swīfan

In summary

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.