swift

See also Swift, and SWIFT

English

Wikipedia

Etymology

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.

Pronunciation

• Audio (US)

  (file)

Adjective

swift (comparative swifter, superlative swiftest)

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

     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.

Translations

fast; quick

• Catalan: ràpid (ca)
• Czech: hbitý (cs), rychlý (cs), svižný (cs)
• Danish: hurtig (da)
• Finnish: nopea (fi), sukkela (fi), vikkelä (fi), vinha (fi)
• French: rapide (fr)
• German: schnell (de)
• Greek: ταχεία (el) (tacheía) n
• Hungarian: gyors (hu), sebes (hu)

• Italian: rapido (it), veloce (it), pronto (it), agile (it), svelto (it), celere (it)
• Portuguese: rápido (pt)
• Russian: быстрый (ru) (bystryj)
• Scottish Gaelic: siùbhlach (gd), grad (gd)
• Slovak: rýchly
• Spanish: rápido (es)
• Turkish: çabuk (tr)
• Volapük: spidik (vo), vifik (vo)

Noun

Wikipedia swift (plural swifts)

1. (obsolete) The current of a stream.
2. A small plain-colored bird (of the family Micropodidæ) that resembles a swallow and is noted for its rapid flight. Common European swift: Cypselus, ∨ Micropus, apus. The common American, or chimney, swift: Chætura pelagica. The Australian swift: Chætura caudacuta. The European Alpine swift: Cypselus melba. The common Indian swift: Cypselus affinis.
3. A western fence lizard, swift, blue-belly, Sceloporus occidentalis -- (common western lizard; seen on logs or rocks)
4. The ghost moth.

Translations

bird

• Catalan: falciot (ca) m
• Chechen: дургли
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 雨燕 (cmn) (yǔyàn)

• Czech: rorýs (cs) m
• Esperanto: apuso (eo)
• Estonian: piiritaja
• Finnish: tervapääsky (fi)
• French: martinet (fr) m
• German: Segler (de) m
• Irish: gabhlán gaoithe (ga) m
• Italian: rondone (it) m

• Jèrriais: grand' néthe f, héthonde dé falaise f, néthe héthonde f, puant m
• Latvian: svīre (lv) f
• Lithuanian: čiurlys (lt) m
• Navajo: tsxį́į́łnaalkʼįhii
• Polish: jerzyk (pl) m
• Portuguese: gaivão (pt) m
• Romanian: drepnea (ro)
• Russian: стриж (ru) (striž) m
• Scottish Gaelic: gobhlan mòr (gd) m, ainleag-dhubh (gd) f
• Spanish: vencejo (es) m
• Swedish: tornseglare (sv)
• Volapük: (male or female) mönasval (vo), (offspring, young) mönasvalül (vo)

lizard

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

Derived terms

• swiftly

See also

• black martin
• black swift
• hawk swallow
• devil bird
• devil screecher
• swingdevil
• screech martin
• shriek owl
• chimney swallow
• palm swift
• tree swift
• pine lizard

---

Old English

Etymology

From the verb swīfan

Adjective

swift

1. swift

Descendants

• English: swift