See Also: Swift Air(tourism)
swift(encyclopedia)
swift(dictionary)
swift(2)(dictionary)
swift(1)(dictionary)
swift(medicine)
SWIFT(finance)
SWIFT(money)
Swift Air flights(tourism)
swift 2, noun(dictionary)

swift(1) (iou)



swift adjective, adverb, & verb1.
[Old English swift, from Germanic base of SWIVE.]
A. adjective.
Moving or capable of moving at great speed; (of an action) performed at high speed; quick, rapid. OE.
J. F. Lehmann The horses dropped from their swift trot to an amble. J. Frame The time was..so swift that it seemed to flow beyond his range of being.
Coming or performed without delay; prompt, speedy. OE.
Irish Press The need for a 'swift clearance' of the rubbish..mounting on the city's streets.
b. Of a person: quick to adopt a specified course or action. Usu. foll. by to (do). ME.
A. Helps Let us not be swift to imagine that lies are never of any service.
Of short duration; brief. Chiefly poet. ME.
Shelley Swift summer into the Autumn flowed.
Comb. & special collocations: swift-foot adjective & noun (a) adjective = swift-footed below; (b) noun a fast-moving person or animal; swift-footed adjective running or moving swiftly; swift fox a small fox, Vulpes velox, of N. American prairies; swift-winged adjective flying swiftly, rapid in flight.
b. adverb. Swiftly. arch. exc. in comb. LME.
J. Buchan Streams which ran swift and..very clear. J. A. Bishop Swift-snapping windshield wipers and dimmed headlights.
C. verb intrans. Move swiftly; hasten. rare. E17.
swiftly adverb in a swift manner, quickly; with swift movement or action: OE.
swiftness noun OE.
swifty adjective (rare, chiefly poet.) swift LME.