swift

See also: SWIFT and Swift

English

Etymology

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

• IPA^(key): /swɪft/

• Audio (US)

  (file)

• Homophone: Swift
• Rhymes: -ɪft

Adjective

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

• overswift, over-swift
• swiftboat, swift-boat, swift boat, Swift Boat
• swiftboating, swift-boating, swift boating
• Swift Current
• swift-flowing
• swiftfooted, swift-footed
• swift fox (Vulpes velox)
• swift fruit bat (Thoopterus nigrescens)
• swifthanded, swift-handed
• swiftly
• swiftness
• swift parrot (Lathamus discolor)
• swiftwater

 

Related terms

• swiftfootedness
• swift-footedness
• swifthandedness
• swift-handedness

 

Translations

fast; quick; rapid

• Afrikaans: vinnig (af)
• Azerbaijani: iti (az), tünd, tez (az), şıdırğı
• Bashkir: тиҙ (tiź), шәп (şəp)
• Catalan: ràpid (ca)
• Chinese:

  Cantonese: 快 (faai³)

  Mandarin: 飞快的, 敏捷的

• Czech: hbitý, rychlý (cs), svižný
• Danish: hurtig (da)
• Finnish: nopea (fi), sukkela (fi), vikkelä (fi), vinha (fi)
• French: rapide (fr)
• Galician: rápido (gl) m, roudo m, lixeiro (gl) m, andarengo m, esguízaro m
• German: schnell (de)
• Greek: γρήγορος (el) m (grígoros), ταχύς (el) m (tachýs), γοργός (el) m (gorgós)

  Ancient: ταχύς (takhús), θοός (thoós) (Epic)

• Higaonon: madali
• Hungarian: gyors (hu), sebes (hu)
• Ingrian: selvä, sukkela
• Irish: éasca
• Italian: rapido (it), veloce (it), pronto (it), agile (it), svelto (it), celere (it)
• Kazakh: шапшаң (şapşañ)
• Latin: celer (la), rapidus, celox, vēlōx (la), incitus
• Latvian: ātrs (lv), ašs, straujš, knašs, žigls
• Maori: tere
• Occitan: rapid (oc) m
• Plautdietsch: schwind, flott (nds)
• Polish: szybki (pl)
• Portuguese: rápido (pt), ligeiro (pt) m, veloz (pt)
• Romanian: rapid (ro), fugaci (ro), repede (ro), iute (ro)
• Russian: бы́стрый (ru) (býstryj), ско́рый (ru) (skóryj), стреми́тельный (ru) (stremítelʹnyj), бойкий (ru) (bojkij)
• Sanskrit: आशु (sa) (āśu), रघु (sa) (raghu), जव (sa) (java)
• Scottish Gaelic: siùbhlach, grad
• Slovak: rýchly
• Spanish: rápido (es), veloz (es), célere, pronto (es), raudo (es), ligero (es), alígero (es), presto (es), presuroso (es), apresurado (es), ágil (es)
• Turkish: çabuk (tr)
• Ukrainian: швидки́й (švydkýj)
• Ukrainian: швидки́й (švydkýj)
• Volapük: spidik (vo), vifik (vo)
• Welsh: creulon (cy), creulawn

Noun

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

• Lyell's swift
• rice swift
• swiftlet
• swift tern

 

Translations

bird

• Afrikaans: windswael
• Arabic: خُطَّاف m (ḵuṭṭāf)
• Bulgarian: бързолет m (bǎrzolet)
• Catalan: falciot (ca) m, falcillot m
• Chechen: дургли (durgli)
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 雨燕 (zh) (yǔyàn)

• Chuvash: ҫыр чӗкеҫӗ (śyr č̬ĕk̬eś̬ĕ), вӗршӗн (vĕrš̬ĕn)
• Czech: rorýs (cs) m
• Dutch: gierzwaluw (nl) f
• Esperanto: apuso
• Estonian: piiritaja
• Finnish: kiitäjä (fi) (Apodidae), tervapääsky (fi) (common swift, Apus apus)
• French: martinet (fr) m
• Galician: cirrio m, irrio m, carrán m, avión (gl) m, andurón (gl) m
• German: Segler (de) m
• Greek: κύψελος (el) m (kýpselos), πετροχελίδονο (el) n (petrochelídono)

  Ancient Greek: κύψελος m (kúpselos), ἄπους m (ápous)

• Hebrew: סִיס (he) m (sis)
• Hungarian: sarlósfecskefélék (hu) pl
• Irish: gabhlán gaoithe m
• Italian: rondone (it) m
• Kazakh: сұр қарлығаш (sūr qarlyğaş)
• Komi-Zyrian: джыдж (džydž)
• Korean: 칼새 (kalsae)
• Kumyk: къайчыкъанат (qayçıqanat)
• Latin: apus m
• Latvian: svīre f
• Lithuanian: čiurlys (lt) m
• Maltese: rundun m
• Manx: gollan mooar m
• Mari:

  Eastern Mari: сергайык (sergajyk), лыртык (lyrtyk)

  Western Mari: льыртык (ĺyrtyk)

• Navajo: tsxį́į́łnaalkʼįhii
• Norman: grand' néthe f, héthonde dé falaise f, néthe héthonde f, puant m
• Norwegian:

  Bokmål: seiler m

  Nynorsk: seglar m

• Persian: داسک sg (dāsak), بادخورک (fa) sg (bādxorak), پالوانه (fa) sg (pālvāne), دمسنجه sg (domsanjeh), زالزال sg (zālzāl)
• Polish: jerzyk (pl) m
• Portuguese: gaivão m, andorinhão (pt) m, aião m, arvião m, zirro (pt) m
• Romanian: drepnea (ro) f
• Russian: стриж (ru) m (striž)
• Sardinian: babbarróttu m
• Scottish Gaelic: gobhlan mòr m, ainleag-dhubh f
• Slovene: hudournik (sl) m
• Spanish: vencejo m
• Swedish: seglare (sv) c, tornseglare (sv) c (common swift)
• Tajik: досак (dosak)
• Tatar: керәшә (tt) (keräşä)
• Udmurt: пӧськы (pöśky)
• Ukrainian: стриж m (stryž)
• Volapük: mönasval
• Welsh: coblyn m

lizard

• Finnish: piikkileguaani
• Italian: salamandra acquaiola, piccola (it) lucertola (it)

reel

• Bulgarian: шпула (bg) f (špula)
• Dutch: haspel (nl) m, garenwinder m
• Finnish: kerinpuut pl, vyyhdinpuut pl
• French: dévidoir (fr) m
• German: Garnwinde f
• Greek: ανέμη (el) f (anémi)
• Ingrian: rihmaväkkärä
• Italian: arcolaio m
• Spanish: devanadera f
• Swedish: nystvinda c
• Welsh: cengliadur m

swift moth — see swift moth

Adverb

swift (comparative more swift, superlative most swift)

1. (obsolete, poetic) Swiftly.
   • c. 1602, William Shakespeare, “The Tragedie of Troylus and Cressida”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act II, scene iii]:

     Light boats sail swift, though greater hulks draw deep.

   • 1793, Robert Southey, Lord William:

     Ply swift and strong the oar.

Synonyms

• swith

Derived terms

• African swift (Apus barbatus)
• alpine swift (Tachymarptis melba)
• Andean swift (Aeronautes andecolus)
• ashy-tailed swift (Chaetura andrei)
• band-rumped swift (Chaetura spinicaudus)
• Bates's swift (Apus batesi)
• black swift (Cypseloides niger)
• Blyth's swift (Apus leuconyx)
• Bradfield's swift (Apus bradfieldi)
• chimney swift (Chaetura pelagica)
• common swift (Apus apus)
• Cook's swift (Apus cooki)
• Costa Rican swift (Chaetura fumosa)
• crested swift (Hemiprocnidae spp.)
• dark-rumped swift (Apus acuticauda)
• emerald swift (Sceloporus malachiticus)
• Eurasian swift, European swift (Apus apus)
• fence swift (Sceloporus undulatis)
• Fernando Po swift (Apus sladeniae)
• Forbes-Watson's swift (Apus berliozi)
• fork-tailed swift (Apus spp.)
• ghost swift (Hepialidae spp.)
• great dusky swift (Cypseloides senex)
• great swift (Hepialus humuli)
• grey-rumped swift (Chaetura cinereiventris)
• little swift (Apus affinis)
• mottled swift (Tachymarptis aequatorialis)
• needle-tailed swift (Hirundapus caudacutus)
• Nyanza swift (Apus niansae)
• orange swift (Triodia sylvina)
• Pacific swift (Apus pacificus)
• pallid swift (Apus pallidus)
• palm swift (Cypsiurus spp.)
• pine swift (Sceloporus undulatus)
• sagebrush swift (Sceloporus graciosus)
• Salim Ali's swift (Apus salimali)
• scarce swift (Schoutedenapus myoptilus)
• Schouteden's swift (Schoutedenapus schoutedeni)
• Sick's swift (Chaetura meridionalis)
• sooty swift (Cypseloides fumigatus)
• spine-tailed swift (Hirundapus caudacutus)
• spot-fronted swift (Cypseloides cherriei)
• swiftlet (Apodidae spp.)
• swift moth (Hepialidae spp.)
• tree swift, treeswift (Hemiprocnidae spp.)
• white-chested swift (Cypseloides lemosi)
• white-chinned swift (Cypseloides cryptus)
• white-collared swift (Streptoprocne zonaris)
• white-naped swift (Streptoprocne semicollaris)
• white-throated swift (Aeronautes saxatalis)
• white-tipped swift (Aeronautes montivagus)

Old English

Etymology

From the verb swīfan.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /swift/

Adjective

swift (comparative swiftra, superlative swiftost)

1. swift, quick

Declension

Declension of swift — Strong

Singular	Masculine	Feminine	Neuter
Nominative	swift	swift	swift
Accusative	swiftne	swifte	swift
Genitive	swiftes	swiftre	swiftes
Dative	swiftum	swiftre	swiftum
Instrumental	swifte	swiftre	swifte
Plural	Masculine	Feminine	Neuter
Nominative	swifte	swifta, swifte	swift
Accusative	swifte	swifta, swifte	swift
Genitive	swiftra	swiftra	swiftra
Dative	swiftum	swiftum	swiftum
Instrumental	swiftum	swiftum	swiftum

Declension of swift — Weak

Singular	Masculine	Feminine	Neuter
Nominative	swifta	swifte	swifte
Accusative	swiftan	swiftan	swifte
Genitive	swiftan	swiftan	swiftan
Dative	swiftan	swiftan	swiftan
Instrumental	swiftan	swiftan	swiftan
Plural	Masculine	Feminine	Neuter
Nominative	swiftan	swiftan	swiftan
Accusative	swiftan	swiftan	swiftan
Genitive	swiftra, swiftena	swiftra, swiftena	swiftra, swiftena
Dative	swiftum	swiftum	swiftum
Instrumental	swiftum	swiftum	swiftum

Derived terms

• swiftlīċe
• swiftnes

Descendants

• English: swift