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.

Translations

fast; quick

• Afrikaans: vinnig (af)
• 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
• German: schnell (de)
• Greek: γρήγορος (el) m (grígoros), ταχύς (el) m (tachýs), γοργός (el) m (gorgós)

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

• Hungarian: gyors (hu), sebes (hu)
• Irish: éasca
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}
• Italian: rapido (it), veloce (it), pronto (it), agile (it), svelto (it), celere (it)
• Latin: celer (la), rapidus, celox, vēlōx (la)
• Latvian: ātrs (lv), ašs, straujš, knašs, žigls
• Maori: tere
• Polish: szybki (pl)
• Portuguese: rápido (pt), ligeiro (pt) m
• Romanian: rapid (ro), fugaci (ro), repede (ro), iute (ro)
• Russian: бы́стрый (ru) (býstryj), ско́рый (ru) (skóryj), стреми́тельный (ru) (stremítelʹnyj)
• Sanskrit: आशु (sa) (āśu)
• Scottish Gaelic: siùbhlach, grad
• Slovak: rýchly
• Spanish: rápido (es), veloz (es)
• Turkish: çabuk (tr)
• Volapük: spidik (vo), vifik (vo)

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

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. A reel for winding yarn.
6. The main cylinder of a carding-machine.
7. (obsolete) The current of a stream.

Translations

bird

• Afrikaans: windswael
• Catalan: falciot m
• Chechen: дургли (durgli)
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 雨燕 (zh) (yǔyàn)

• Czech: rorýs (cs) m
• Esperanto: apuso
• Estonian: piiritaja
• Finnish: kiitäjä (fi) (Apodidae), tervapääsky (fi) (common swift, Apus apus)
• French: martinet (fr) m
• Galician: cirrio m, carrán m, avión (gl) m, andurón (gl) m
• German: Segler (de) m
• Hebrew: סִיס (he) m (sis)
• Irish: gabhlán gaoithe m
• Italian: rondone (it) m
• Latin: apus m
• Latvian: svīre f
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}
• Lithuanian: čiurlys (lt) m
• Maltese: rundun m
• Manx: gollan mooar m
• Navajo: tsxį́į́łnaalkʼįhii
• Norman: grand' néthe f, héthonde dé falaise f, néthe héthonde f, puant m
• Norwegian:

  Bokmål: seiler m

  Nynorsk: seglar m

• Polish: jerzyk (pl) m
• Portuguese: gaivão m, andorinhão (pt) m, aião m, arvião m, zirro m
• Romanian: drepnea (ro) f
• Russian: стриж (ru) m (striž)
• Scottish Gaelic: gobhlan mòr m, ainleag-dhubh f
• Slovene: hudournik (sl) m
• Spanish: vencejo m
• Swedish: tornseglare (sv)
• Volapük: mönasval

lizard

• Finnish: piikkileguaani
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}
• Italian: salamandra acquaiola, piccola (it) lucertola (it)

swift moth — see swift moth

Adverb

swift (comparative more swift, superlative most swift)

1. (obsolete, poetic) Swiftly.
   • 1602, William Shakespeare, Troilus and Cressida, II. iii. 263:

     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 ()
• alpine swift ()
• Andean swift ()
• ashy-tailed swift ()
• band-rumped swift ()
• Bates's swift ()
• black swift ()
• Blyth's swift ()
• Bradfield's swift ()
• chimney swift ()
• common swift (Apus apus)
• Cook's swift ()
• Costa Rican swift ()
• crested swift (Hemiprocnidae spp.)
• dark-rumped swift ()
• emerald swift ()
• Eurasian swift, European swift (Apus apus)
• fence swift ()
• Fernando Po swift ()
• Forbes-Watson's swift ()
• fork-tailed swift
• ghost swift (Hepialidae)
• great dusky swift ()
• great swift ()
• grey-rumped swift ()
• little swift ()
• mottled swift ()
• needle-tailed swift ()
• Nyanza swift ()
• orange swift ()
• Pacific swift ()
• pallid swift ()
• palm swift (Cypsiurus spp.)
• pine swift ()
• sagebrush swift ()
• Salim Ali's swift ()
• scarce swift ()
• Schouteden's swift ()
• Sick's swift ()
• sooty swift ()
• spine-tailed swift ()
• spot-fronted swift ()
• swift fox (Vulpes velox)
• swift fruit bat ()
• swift moth
• swiftness
• swiftlet (Apodidae spp.)
• swiftly
• swift parrot (Lathamus discolor)
• swiftwater
• tree swift, treeswift (Hemiprocnidae spp.)
• white-chested swift ()
• white-chinned swift ()
• white-collared swift ()
• white-naped swift ()
• white-throated swift ()
• white-tipped swift ()

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Old English

Alternative forms

• sƿift — wynn spelling

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