swift
/swɪft/
Word Rarity
Uncommon
Frequency: Zipf frequency 4.15 in modern English
11
Scrabble Score
5
Letters
1
Syllables
5
Unique Chars
Meaning
adj
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.
noun
A moth of the family Hepialidae, swift moth, ghost moth.
noun
Example Sentences
- "swift action"
- "swift response"
- "swift recovery"
- "The river’s swift current carried the boat downstream."
- "She gave a swift reply to his question."
- "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."
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.
Origin
Word Breakdown
- Root: swift, *swiftaz, *(s)weyp-
Usage
Inflected Forms
swifter (comparative)
swiftest (superlative)
more swift (comparative)
most swift (superlative)
swifts (plural)
Derived Forms
Phrases
Frequently Paired Words
Synonyms
needletail
spinetail
swiftlet
fence lizard
spiny lizard
Society for Worldwide Financial Telecommunication
swith
fleet