# swift

Pronunciation: say "SWIFT" /swɪft/

## Adjective

1. Happening, moving, or done quickly.
   - Simple: Fast, or done in a short time.
   - _The company's swift response kept the problem from spreading._
   - _Critics demanded swifter action on the housing crisis._
2. Able to move at high speed.
   - Simple: Able to move very fast.
   - _A swift little sailboat can outpace most of the fleet in a steady breeze._
   - _Cheetahs are the swiftest animals on land._

## Noun

3. A small, plain-colored bird of the family Apodidae that looks like a swallow and is known for its fast flight.
   - Simple: A small, plain bird that looks like a swallow and flies very fast.
   - _Screaming swifts raced around the church tower on summer evenings._
   - _A swift nested under the eaves of the old barn._
4. A moth of the family Hepialidae, also called a swift moth or ghost moth.
   - Simple: A type of moth, also known as a swift moth or ghost moth.
   - _The moth trap by the meadow caught a single swift among dozens of other moths._
   - _The swift's caterpillars feed underground, out of sight._
5. Any of certain lizards belonging to the genus Sceloporus.
   - Simple: One of a group of lizards that includes the fence lizard.
   - _The spiny-scaled swift darted under a log as we approached._
   - _Desert swifts bask on boulders in the morning before the heat drives them into the cracks._
6. Any of various fast-flying butterflies of the family Hesperiidae.
   - Simple: One of several kinds of butterfly that fly very fast.
   - _Even experienced butterfly watchers struggle to follow a swift in flight._
   - _Several swifts were feeding on the lantana, darting off whenever another butterfly came near._
7. A light, collapsible reel that holds a hank of yarn while it is wound off into skeins or balls.
   - Simple: A light frame that folds up and holds yarn while you wind it into balls.
   - _Clamp the swift to the edge of the table, open it like an umbrella, and slip the hank over it._
   - _With the hank stretched on a swift, the yarn unwinds without tangling._
8. In textile manufacturing, the large cylinder at the center of a carding machine, which serves as its main working part.
   - Simple: The main turning roller inside a carding machine.
   - _Thousands of fine wire teeth on the swift tease the cotton fibers apart._
   - _As the swift turns, smaller rollers around it work the fibers into a thin web._

## Adverb

9. Quickly, at a fast pace. *(obsolete)*
   - Simple: In a fast way.
   - _Clouds flew swift across the moon as the storm came in._
   - _Word of the victory traveled swift through the valley._

## Noun

10. The flow of water in a stream. *(obsolete)*
   - Simple: The moving water in a stream.

## Origin

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”). It is cognate with Icelandic svipta (“to pull quickly”) and Old English swīfan (“to revolve, sweep, wend, intervene”), and related to swivel.

Source: DictionaryAI, https://dictionaryai.com/define/swift (written from Wiktionary data, CC BY-SA 4.0: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/).