swift

Meanings

Adjective

• Fast; quick; rapid.
• Capable of moving at high speeds.

Noun

• A small plain-colored bird of the family Apodidae that resembles a swallow and is noted for its rapid flight.
• Any of certain lizards of the genus Sceloporus.
• A moth of the family Hepialidae, swift moth, ghost moth.
• Any of various fast-flying hesperiid butterflies.
• A light, collapsible reel used to hold a hank of yarn in order to wind off skeins or balls.
• The main cylinder of a carding-machine.
• The current of a stream.

Adverb

• Swiftly.

Related

Similar words

• swith

Origin

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