Swift Definition

swĭft
swiftest, swifts, swifter
adjective
swiftest, swifter
Moving or capable of moving with great speed; rapid; fast.
Webster's New World
Coming, happening, or done quickly or suddenly.
Webster's New World
Acting or responding quickly; prompt; ready.
Webster's New World
Quick to act or react.
Swift to take revenge.
American Heritage
Antonyms:
adverb
In a swift manner.
Webster's New World
Swiftly. Often used in combination.
Swift-running.
American Heritage
noun
swifts
A cylinder in a carding machine.
Webster's New World
An expanding reel used to hold skeins of silk, etc. that are being wound off.
Webster's New World
Any of a large family (Apodidae, order Apodiformes) of aerial-feeding, insectivorous, swift-flying, swallowlike birds with long, stiff wings and a small, weak bill, as the chimney swift.
Webster's New World
Any of several swift-moving North American iguanas (genera Sceloporus and Uta) living esp. in arid or desert regions.
Webster's New World
A small fox (Vulpes velox) of the plains of W U.S. and S Canada.
Webster's New World
Synonyms:
pronoun

A surname, originally a nickname for a swift or quick person.

Wiktionary

Other Word Forms of Swift

Noun

Singular:
swift
Plural:
swifts

Adjective

Base Form:
swift
Comparative:
swifter
Superlative:
swiftest

Origin of Swift

  • 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 swÄ«fan (“to revolve, sweep, wend, intervene"). More at swivel.

    From Wiktionary

  • Middle English from Old English

    From American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition

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