† swiftn.1
Obsolete. Nautical.
Apparently = swifter n.E. H. Knight Pract. Dict. Mech. gives this form with the definitions of swifter n. 1a, 1b, but they seem to be wrongly inferred from the entry swift in Smyth's Sailor's Word-bk.
ΘΚΠ
society > travel > travel by water > vessel, ship, or boat > equipment of vessel > masts, rigging, or sails > rigging > [noun] > fixed rigging > rigging supporting mast laterally > shroud fixed above others
swift1336
swiftera1625
1336–7 Accts. Exchequer King's Remembrancer (P.R.O.: E101/19/31) m. 5 In D. Swiftes emptis in Grosso apud lenne de Iohanne de Kynge~stone.
1336–7 Accts. Exchequer King's Remembrancer (P.R.O.: E101/19/31) m. 5 In ij. petris cord. de canabo..pro swifftes et robond inde faciendis.
This entry has not yet been fully updated (first published 1919; most recently modified version published online March 2021).
swiftn.2
/swɪft/, U.S. /swɪft/ I. A creature that resembles a swift, especially in speed.† 3. A proper name for a swift-running hound.
1. (a) The common newt or eft. Now only dialect. (b) A name for several swift-running small lizards, as the North American fence-lizard, Sceloporus undulatus.
ΘΚΠ
the world > animals > amphibians > order Urodela or Caudata > [noun] > family Salamandridae (newts) > newt
askeOE
newta1425
askerc1450
swift1530
eft1584
water-ask1772
the world > animals > reptiles > order Squamata (lizards and snakes) > suborder Lacertilia (lizards) > [noun] > family Iguanidae > member of genus Sceloporus (fence-lizard)
swift1530
pine lizard1842
stinging lizard1870
fence-lizard1889
the world > animals > reptiles > order Squamata (lizards and snakes) > suborder Lacertilia (lizards) > [noun] > family Lacertidae > genus Lacerta > lacerta stellio (swift)
swift1530
1530 J. Palsgrave Lesclarcissement 278/2 Swyfte, worme, lesarde.
1559 W. Cuningham Cosmogr. Glasse 173 Venomous beastes, and Wormes, as Ranny, Tode, Eddy, Snack, swift.
1606 N. Baxter Sir Philip Sydneys Ouránia sig. G3 The Neught, the Swift, lurking in the Roade.
1650 tr. J. A. Comenius Janua Linguarum Reserata §215 The lizzard, the evet, the swift..walk on their feet.
1668 W. Charleton Onomasticon Zoicon 26 Lacerta Stellio..the Swift.
1848 Zoologist 6 2186 If you were to ask here [i.e. in Norfolk] whether there were any swifts about, you would be told ‘Yes, plenty in the clay-pits’: the only creature known by that name is the water-eft.
1889 Cent. Dict. Fence-lizard, the common small lizard or swift of the United States.
2.
a. A bird of the family Cypselidæ, comprising numerous and widely distributed species, outwardly resembling swallows (cf. swallow n.1 2), and noted for their swiftness of flight; esp. the common swift, Cypselus apus, a summer visitant to the British Isles and Europe generally.
ΘΚΠ
the world > animals > birds > perching birds > order Apodiformes > [noun] > family Apodidae
swift1668
martin1678
swallow1761
the world > animals > birds > perching birds > order Apodiformes > [noun] > family Apodidae > genus Apus > apus apus (swift)
martinet1440
martleta1460
marlet1530
swift1668
black martin1673
Apus1774
longwing1786
deviling1797
devilet1828
flap-wing1834
squealer1854
devil1885
devil bird1885
1668 W. Charleton Onomasticon Zoicon 90 Hirundo Apos Major..the Horse-Marten, or Swift.
1678 J. Ray tr. F. Willughby Ornithol. 214 The black Martin or Swift. Hirundo apus.
1687 J. Dryden Hind & Panther iii. 104 Some Swifts, the Gyants of the Swallow kind.
1769 G. White Let. 8 Dec. in Nat. Hist. Selborne (1789) 75 The invariable early retreat of the hirundo apus, or swift, so many weeks before it's congeners.
1866 C. Darwin Origin of Species (ed. 4) vii. 281 One of the swifts of North America makes its nest..of sticks agglutinated with saliva.
1870 H. A. Nicholson Man. Zool. (1875) 508 In the Swifts..all four toes are present, but they are all turned forwards.
b. Name for a breed of domestic pigeons having some resemblance to swifts. Also swift pigeon.
ΘΚΠ
the world > animals > birds > perching birds > order Columbiformes (pigeons, etc.) > domestic pigeon > [noun] > other types
porcelainc1530
turn-pate1611
light horseman1661
runt1661
smiter1668
helmet1676
mammet1678
Cortbeck1688
turbit1688
turner1688
dragoon1725
finicking1725
Leghorn1725
nun1725
owl1725
petit1725
trumpeter1725
horseman1735
Mahomet1735
barbel1736
turn-tail1736
frill-back1765
blue rock1825
beard1826
ice pigeon1829
toy1831
black1839
skinnum1839
splash1851
whole-feather1851
spangle1854
swallow1854
shield1855
stork pigeon1855
Swabian1855
yellow1855
archangel1867
dragon1867
starling1867
magpie1868
smerle1869
bluette1870
cumulet1876
oriental1876
spot fairy1876
turbiteen1876
blondinette1879
hyacinth1879
Modena pigeon1879
silver-dun1879
silverette1879
silver-mealy1879
swift pigeon1879
Victoria1879
visor1879
ice1881
swallow pigeon1881
velvet fairy1881
priesta1889
frill1890
1879 L. Wright Pract. Pigeon Keeper 197 Swifts are named from the great resemblance of their long flights and tails to the Martin and Swallow tribe of birds.
1881 J. C. Lyell Fancy Pigeons 113 The Swift pigeon..is of Eastern origin.
ΘΚΠ
the world > animals > mammals > group Unguiculata or clawed mammal > family Canidae > hound > [noun] > swift
streaker1487
swift1602
1602 2nd Pt. Returne fr. Parnassus ii. v. 904 The Buck broke gallantly: my great Swift being disaduantaged in his slip was at the first behinde.
1677 E. Coles Eng. Dict. (new ed.) at Argus Swift, a dogs name, Ulysses's dogs name.
4. Collectors' name for moths of the genus Hepialus or family Hepialidæ, distinguished by their rapid flight. Also swift moth.
ΘΚΠ
the world > animals > invertebrates > phylum Arthropoda > class Insecta > Heterocera > [noun] > family Hepialidae > member of (swift)
swift1819
Hepialid1888
mully-grub1924
1819 G. Samouelle Entomologist's Compend. 245 Hepialus Humuli (ghost swift). Hep. Mappa (map-winged swift). Hep. Hectus (golden swift).
1870 Eng. Mech. 21 Jan. 449/3 The subterranean Caterpillars of the Swift Moths.
II. Someone or something that is fast-moving, and related uses.† 6. A rapid current; a rapid. Obsolete. rare.
5.
a. A light kind of reel, usually of adjustable diameter, upon which a skein of silk, yarn, etc. is placed in order to be wound off. See also quot. 1878.
ΘΚΠ
the world > textiles and clothing > textiles > textile manufacture > manufacture of thread or yarn > [noun] > winding > on reel > instrument for > specific
swift1564
reel swift1853
swift reel1869
1564 Inventory in J. Noake Worcs. Relics (1877) 13 In the weaving shoppe..ij pare of shuttels a swiste [sic] and a knave to the quiltourne.
1791 W. Hutton Hist. Derby 208 The machine continually turns a round bobbin, or small block of wood, which draws the thread from the slip, while expanded upon a swift, suspended on a centre. The moment the thread breaks, the swift stops.
1805 W. Godwin Fleetwood I. xi. 242 The reels, or, as the English manufacturers call them, swifts, which received the silk, as it was devolved from certain bobbins [sic].
1825 ‘J. Nicholson’ Operative Mechanic 395 Each of the skeins is extended upon a slight reel called a swift..composed of four small rods, fixed into an axis, and small bands of string are stretched between the arms to receive the skein,..the bands admit of sliding to a greater or less distance from the centre, so as to increase the effective diameter of the reel, according to the size of the skein.
1876 W. H. Preece & J. Sivewright Telegraphy 176 The galvanized iron wire is placed on a simple loose wheel, or ‘swift’.
1878 W. Dickinson Gloss. Words & Phrases Cumberland (ed. 2) Swifts, a wooden cross from which yarn is wound off.
1884 W. S. B. McLaren Spinning Woollen & Worsted (ed. 2) 182 The only objection to this machine is the danger to the workers, for the swift is not stopped with each change of wool.
b. A cylinder in a carding-machine.
ΘΚΠ
the world > textiles and clothing > textiles > textile manufacture > treating or processing textile materials > [noun] > combing > machine > roller or cylinder
can1795
worker1818
breast1825
worker card1837
licker-in1850
swift1853
1853 A. Ure Dict. Arts (ed. 4) I. 765 The cards employed for tow are machines of considerable weight and importance, the main cylinder, or, as it is sometimes called, ‘swift’, being from 4 to 5 feet diameter.
1888 Encycl. Brit. XXIV. 659/1 The angle stripper passes the wool from the doffer to the next cylinder, which is called a ‘swift’.
ΘΚΠ
the world > the earth > water > rivers and streams > system > [noun] > rapids
white water1482
sault1600
shoota1609
stickle1616
swift1661
rift1727
rapid1744
rattle1770
rip1775
riffle1865
spate1884
1661 I. Walton Compl. Angler (ed. 3) xiv. 198 He [sc. the Barbel] is able to live in the strongest swifts of the Water.
1712 London Gaz. No. 5026/6 Another we sunk, who in the swift of the Sea turn'd bottom up.
7. The sail of a windmill. dialect.
ΘΚΠ
society > occupation and work > equipment > mills > [noun] > windmill > sail
sailc1440
wing1484
ventaila1529
vane1581
sweep1702
arm1724
windsail1725
wind-vane1725
swift1763
wan1767
flyer1790
van1837
1763 J. Mills New Syst. Pract. Husbandry III. 125 By working the bellows with swifts like those of a mill.
1796 London Chron. 21 Jan. 72 As a boy was at play near the windmill belonging to Rye,..the swifts struck him on the head.
8. Printers' slang. A quick or expeditious typesetter.
ΘΚΠ
society > communication > printing > printer > [noun] > compositor > speedy
swift1841
whip1890
1841 W. Savage Dict. Art of Printing 229 Compositors who are expeditious workmen are styled Fire Eaters, and also Swifts.
1896 Indianapolis Typogr. Jrnl. 16 Nov. 405 Owing to the linotype machines, several ‘swifts’ were thrown out of employment.
Compounds
swift moth n. (see sense 4).
swift pigeon n. (see sense 2b).
swift reel n. = sense 5.
ΘΚΠ
the world > textiles and clothing > textiles > textile manufacture > manufacture of thread or yarn > [noun] > winding > on reel > instrument for > specific
swift1564
reel swift1853
swift reel1869
1869 Ann. Rep. Commissioner Agric. 1868 288 in U.S. Congress. Serial Set (40th Congr., 3rd Sess.: House of Representatives Executive Doc.) XV The skeins are slipped upon octagonal, wicker ‘swift’ reels.
swift-shrike n. a bird of the genus Ocypterus.
ΘΚΠ
the world > animals > birds > unspecified and miscellaneous birds > [noun] > miscellaneous
night-raveneOE
cold-finch1676
crane1678
diver1694
solitary1708
wheat-bird1747
yellow-bill1775
Chinese thrush1781
whidah thrush1781
tomtit1789
solitaire1797
year-bird1798
softbill1830
swift-shrike1841
scissor bird1843
seed finch1862
sea-flyer1869
stalker1872
seven sisters1873
dicky bird1879
baboon bird1883
1841 Penny Cycl. XXI. 416/1 The swift shrikes (Ocypterus, Cuv.), so named from their very long wings.
Derivatives
swift-like adj.
ΚΠ
1839 P. J. Bailey Festus 144 I was at home in Heaven: Swiftlike I lived above.
This entry has not yet been fully updated (first published 1919; most recently modified version published online March 2022).
swiftadj.adv.
A. adj.
1. in similative and proverbial phrases.?c1225 (?a1200) Ancrene Riwle (Cleo. C.vi) (1972) 146 Ure wiðerwines beo swiftere þenne earnes.c1400 Rom. Rose 5024 Present tyme abidith nought, It is more swift than any thought.c1405 (c1387–95) G. Chaucer Canterbury Tales Prol. (Hengwrt) (2003) l. 190 Grehoundes he hadde, as swift as fowel in flyght.1560 Bible (Geneva) Eccl. ix. 11 The race is not to the swift, nor the battel to the strong.a1593 C. Marlowe tr. Lucan First Bk. (1600) i. 231 Swifter then bullets throwne from Spanish slinges.1599 H. Porter Pleasant Hist. Two Angrie Women of Abington sig. E A swift horse will tier, but he that trottes easilie will indure.1692 M. Prior Ode Imitation Horace vi Fate has swifter Wings than Fear.
a. ‘Moving far in a short time’ (Johnson); moving, or capable of moving, with great speed or velocity; going quickly or at a great rate; rapid, fleet.
ΘΚΠ
the world > movement > rate of motion > swiftness > [adjective]
swiftc888
swifta1050
currentc1300
quickc1300
hastivea1325
hastyc1330
ingnel1340
swiftyc1380
speedfula1387
fasta1400
swippingc1420
speedy1487
fleet1528
tite?a1540
scudding1545
flighty1552
suddenly1556
flight1581
feathered1587
Pegasean1590
wing-footed1591
swift-winged?1592
thought-swift-flying1595
wind-winged?1596
swallow-winged1597
Pegasarian1607
skelping1607
rapid1608
night-swifta1616
celerious1632
clipping1635
perniciousa1656
volatile1655
quick-foot1658
meteorous1667
windy1697
high-flying1710
fleet-footed1726
aliped1727
wickc1760
velocious1775
flight-performing1785
fast-going1800
fast-moving1802
meteor1803
wight-wapping1830
fleety1841
speeding1847
swiftening1848
two-forty1855
fire-swift1865
pennate1870
spinning1882
percursory1884
zippy1889
meteoric1895
pacy1906
presto1952
c888 Ælfred tr. Boethius De Consol. Philos. xxxvi. §3 Ic hæbbe swiðe swifte feþera, þæt ic mæg fliogan ofer þone hean hrof þæs heofones.
OE Beowulf 2264 Se swifta mearh.
c1275 (?a1200) Laȝamon Brut (Calig.) (1978) l. 13010 Arður wes swiftre [c1300 Otho swiftere] & of-toc þene eotend.
c1275 (?a1200) Laȝamon Brut (Calig.) (1963) l. 2944 Þa oðere weoren swifte [c1300 Otho swihte] heore wepnen weoren lihte.
?a1366 Romaunt Rose 949 The swiftest of these Arowis fyue.
1390 J. Gower Confessio Amantis I. 119 The grete hert..Whiche swifte feet sette upon grounde.
1390 J. Gower Confessio Amantis II. 328 A Swalwe swift of winge.
a1400 (a1325) Cursor Mundi (Vesp.) l. 17288 + 186 Peter & Iohne to-geder ran..But Iohne was þe swifter.
a1400 (a1325) Cursor Mundi (Fairf. 14) l. 3730 God dote am I. noȝt so squyft on fote.
a1525 (c1448) R. Holland Bk. Howlat l. 138 in W. A. Craigie Asloan MS (1925) II. 99 Ye swallowe so swyft.
1533 J. Gau tr. C. Pedersen Richt Vay 66 Our bodis sal be na mair hewy or sweir bot swuft.
1596 J. Dalrymple tr. J. Leslie Hist. Scotl. (1888) I. 91 Swiftnes of fute, in quhilke thay walde ouirrin the swoftest horse.
1667 J. Milton Paradise Lost i. 326 His swift pursuers. View more context for this quotation
1673 J. Milton At Vacation Exercise in Poems (new ed.) 68 Severn swift, guilty of Maidens death.
1690 J. Evelyn Diary (1955) V. 10 A Vessel..built with low Decks,..&..so light & swift of sailing, that [etc.].
1696 E. Phillips New World of Words (new ed.) A Planet is said to be swift in Motion, when by its own proper Diurnal Motion, he moves farther than his mean Diurnal Motion.
1785 W. Cowper Task iii. 325 Delights which who would leave..For all the savage din of the swift pack, And clamours of the field?
1843 G. P. R. James Forest Days I. iii. 34 They watched the swift fish darting along the stream.
1852 H. B. Stowe Uncle Tom's Cabin I. xvii. 274 I will..engage him to come behind on his swift nag.
b. Of movement, or action regarded as movement: Taking place or executed at high speed; rapid, quick.
ΘΚΠ
the world > movement > rate of motion > swiftness > [adjective]
swiftc888
swifta1050
currentc1300
quickc1300
hastivea1325
hastyc1330
ingnel1340
swiftyc1380
speedfula1387
fasta1400
swippingc1420
speedy1487
fleet1528
tite?a1540
scudding1545
flighty1552
suddenly1556
flight1581
feathered1587
Pegasean1590
wing-footed1591
swift-winged?1592
thought-swift-flying1595
wind-winged?1596
swallow-winged1597
Pegasarian1607
skelping1607
rapid1608
night-swifta1616
celerious1632
clipping1635
perniciousa1656
volatile1655
quick-foot1658
meteorous1667
windy1697
high-flying1710
fleet-footed1726
aliped1727
wickc1760
velocious1775
flight-performing1785
fast-going1800
fast-moving1802
meteor1803
wight-wapping1830
fleety1841
speeding1847
swiftening1848
two-forty1855
fire-swift1865
pennate1870
spinning1882
percursory1884
zippy1889
meteoric1895
pacy1906
presto1952
the world > movement > rate of motion > swiftness > [adjective] > specifically of movement or action
radeOE
swifta1050
smarta1325
quickc1325
round1525
main1567
rapid1605
slashing1824
a1050 Wærferth's Gregory's Dial. ii. vii. 115 He..mid swiftum [earlier version færlicum] ryne eft gecyrde.
1398 J. Trevisa tr. Bartholomew de Glanville De Proprietatibus Rerum (1495) iii. xvii. d iv/2 An oore yt semyth broken in ye water for swyft meuinge of ye water.
a1542 T. Wyatt Coll. Poems (1969) civ. 15 With gret swifft sway the first [= primum mobile]..Caryth it sellff.
1609 W. Shakespeare Troilus & Cressida i. i. 116 Troy. But to the sport abrode are you bound thither? Æne. In all swift hast.
1637 J. Milton Comus 5 The starrie quire, Who..Lead in swift round the Months and Yeares.
1660 J. Playford Brief Introd. Skill Musick (ed. 3) i. 33 This Mood..is of two Motions, the one slow, the other more swift.
1785 W. Cowper Task i. 139 That play of lungs..Respiring freely the fresh air, that makes Swift pace or steep ascent no toil to me.
1851 T. Carlyle Life J. Sterling i. iv. 40 A swift but not very legible or handsome penmanship.
1860 J. Tyndall Glaciers of Alps ii. x. 279 The non-coincidence of the point of swiftest motion with the centre of the glacier.
1869 A. J. Evans Vashti xii. 152 The swift clicking of her knitting-needles.
2.
a. Coming on, happening, or performed without delay; prompt, speedy.
ΘΚΠ
the world > time > relative time > immediacy > [adjective]
ferlyc893
cofc1000
swiftc1000
smarta1325
suddenc1390
undelayed1439
wightlaykec1450
short1480
present1489
indelayed1523
on or upon a (or the) sudden1558
immediate1569
instant1598
momentaneous1657
abrupt1725
presto1767
summary1771
momentary1799
pistolgraph1859
fast1863
c1000 Ælfric Homilies I. 618 Se miccla Godes dæg is swiðe gehende and ðearle swyft.
1377 W. Langland Piers Plowman B. xi. 370 Suffraunce is a souereyne vertue, And a swyfte veniaunce.
a1616 W. Shakespeare Measure for Measure (1623) iv. iii. 99 Make a swift returne, For I would commune with you of such things, That want no eare but yours. View more context for this quotation
1667 J. Milton Paradise Lost v. 907 Those proud Towrs to swift destruction doom'd. View more context for this quotation
1697 J. Dryden tr. Virgil Æneis viii, in tr. Virgil Wks. 441 And, when to Morrow's Sun reveals the Light, With swift Supplies you shall be sent away.
1755 J. Wesley Primitive Physick (ed. 5) Postscr. It was a great Surprize to the Editor of the following Collection, That there was so swift and large a Demand for it.
1870 C. Dickens Edwin Drood iii. 16 She looks up at him with a swift bright look.
1904 R. C. Jebb Bacchylides 15 This art of swift transition..was one which Pindar seems to have regarded as peculiarly his own.
b. Acting, or disposed to act, without delay; prompt, ready. Usually constructed to with infinitive or noun.
ΘΚΠ
the world > action or operation > manner of action > rapidity or speed of action or operation > [adjective]
hiefulc1230
hastyc1330
swift1340
graithfula1400
yedera1400
short1480
speedy1529
expedite1540
quick1548
postingc1553
hasting1566
rushing1694
nimble1707
presto1767
presto change1835
quick-action1887
presto changeo1923
knife-edge1969
light speed1987
the world > time > relative time > immediacy > [adjective] > acting immediately
swift1340
present1541
suddenc1595
presentaneous1656
1340 Ayenbite (1866) 141 Efterward þe milde is wel zuift and wel ingnel.
1340 R. Rolle Pricke of Conscience 792 He es swyft to spek on his manere.
1382 Bible (Wycliffite, L.V.) James i. 19 Be ech man swift for to here, forsothe slowe for to speke.
1477 W. Caxton tr. R. Le Fèvre Hist. Jason (1913) 63 Ye ben hasty & moche swift in your werkes.
c1595 Countess of Pembroke Psalme lxxxvi. 33 in Coll. Wks. (1998) II. 126 Thou, Iehoua, swift to grace.
1667 J. Milton Paradise Lost ix. 633 Hee..To mischief swift . View more context for this quotation
1681 J. Dryden Absalom & Achitophel 191 Swift of Dispatch and easie of Access.
1785 W. Cowper Task ii. 251 All were swift to follow whom all lov'd.
1827 W. Scott Surgeon's Daughter in Chron. Canongate 1st Ser. II. iii. 79 Richard is not swift,..but then he is sure.
1847 A. Helps Friends in Council I. 11 Let us not be swift to imagine that lies are never of any service.
1855 C. Kingsley Westward Ho! xxxiii Crafty of counsel, and swift of execution.
3. Done or finished within a short time; passing quickly, of short continuance, that is soon over, brief. Chiefly poetic.
ΘΚΠ
the world > time > duration > shortness or brevity in time > swift movement of time > [adjective]
slidinga900
scrithingOE
henwardOE
swifta1225
short livya1325
passing1340
flittingc1374
shadowy1374
temporalc1384
speedfula1400
transitory?c1400
brittlea1425
unabidingc1430
frail?c1450
indurablec1450
scrithel?c1475
caduke1483
transitorious1492
passanta1500
perishinga1500
caducea1513
fugitive?1518
caducal?1548
quick1548
delible1549
flittering1549
undurable?1555
shadowish1561
fleeting1563
vading1566
flightful1571
wanzing1571
transitive1575
slipping1581
diary1583
unlasting1585
never-lasting1588
flit1590
post-like1594
running1598
short-lived1598
short-winded1598
transient1599
unpermanent1607
flashy1609
of a day1612
passable1613
dureless1614
urgenta1616
waxena1616
decayable1617
horary1620
evanid1626
fugitable1628
short-dated1632
fugacious1635
ephemerala1639
impermanent1653
fungous1655
volatile1655
ephemerousa1660
unimmortal1667
timesome1674
while-being1674
of passage1680
journal1685
ephemeron1714
admovent1727
evanescent1728
meteorous1750
deciduous1763
preterient1786
ephemeridal1795
meteorica1802
meteor1803
ephemerean1804
ephemerid1804
evanescing1805
fleeted1810
fleet1812
unenduring1814
unremaining1817
unimmortalized1839
impersistent1849
flighty1850
uneternal1862
caducous1863
diurnal1866
horarious1866
brisk1879
evasive1881
picaresque1959
a1225 Leg. Kath. 2156 Þis swifte pine, þet aswikeð se sone.
1600 W. Shakespeare Midsummer Night's Dream i. i. 144 Swift, as a shadowe; short, as any dreame. View more context for this quotation
1609 W. Shakespeare Pericles xi. 13 Make swift the pangues Of my Queenes trauayles. View more context for this quotation
1611 Bible (King James) Job vii. 6 My dayes are swifter then a weauers shuttle. View more context for this quotation
1820 P. B. Shelley Sensitive Plant in Prometheus Unbound 167 Swift summer into the autumn flowed.
1821 P. B. Shelley Epithalamion 7 Hence, swift hour! and thy loved flight Oft renew.
1848 A. B. Evans Leicestershire Words Swift, fast consuming: ‘The Snibston coal is very swift.’
B. adv. (Now chiefly poetic)
1. = swiftly adv. 1.
ΘΚΠ
the world > movement > rate of motion > swiftness > [adverb]
yeverlyeOE
cofeOE
snellya1000
whatlichea1000
swiftlyc1000
yernea1023
skeetc1175
swithc1175
whatec1175
lightly?c1225
tidelyc1225
fastlyc1275
swithc1275
fastc1300
quickc1300
titec1300
quicklya1325
rada1325
snellc1330
titelyc1330
swithly?1370
hastlya1375
ketlya1375
ketec1380
speedlyc1380
speedfully1398
keenlya1400
skeetlya1400
speedilya1400
swiftc1400
yederlyc1400
apacea1423
rasha1475
runninglyc1475
speedful?c1480
rackly?a1500
rashly1533
stiffly1535
roundly1548
post1549
fleet1587
fleetly1598
speedy1601
raptly1646
fastisha1650
wingedly1651
rapidly1653
rapid1677
velociously1680
express1765
quicklike1782
spankingly1803
spankily1842
fleetingly1883
quick-foot1891
on the quick-foot1894
zippily1924
c1400 (?c1380) Patience l. 108 He swenges me þys swete schip swefte fro þe hauen.
c1430 Chev. Assigne 113 Thenne an hynde kome fro þe woode rennynge fulle swyfte.
c1540 (?a1400) Destr. Troy 13299 Full swift to the swalgh me swinget the flode.
1596 in J. Stuart Misc. Spalding Club (1841) I. 85 Thow..rann..alss swoft, as apperit to him, as ane arrow culd be schot furth of ane bow.
1609 W. Shakespeare Troilus & Cressida ii. iii. 261 Light boates saile swift, though greater hulkes draw deepe. View more context for this quotation
1667 J. Milton Paradise Lost iii. 714 Swift to thir several Quarters hasted then The cumbrous Elements. View more context for this quotation
1729 J. Swift Lett. Irish Coal 23 Oct. The latter [sc. Irish coal] consumed away very swift in a blaze.
a1774 O. Goldsmith Surv. Exper. Philos. (1776) II. 224 Wood rubbed very swift with a circular motion takes fire.
1781 W. Cowper Retirem. 435 Then swift descending with a seaman's haste.
1852 W. M. Thackeray Henry Esmond I. xiii. 296 A light chaise..running as swift..as a Laplander's sledge.
2. = swiftly adv. 2, 3 †soft swift: ‘not so fast’; ‘don't be too hasty’.
ΘΚΠ
the world > time > relative time > immediacy > [adverb]
soonc825
ratheeOE
rathelyeOE
rekeneOE
rekenlyOE
thereright971
anonOE
forth ona1000
coflyc1000
ferlyc1000
radlyOE
swiftlyc1000
unyoreOE
yareOE
at the forme (also first) wordOE
nowOE
shortlya1050
rightOE
here-rightlOE
right anonlOE
anonc1175
forthrightc1175
forthwithalc1175
skeetc1175
swithc1175
with and withc1175
anon-rightc1225
anon-rights?c1225
belivec1225
lightly?c1225
quickly?c1225
tidelyc1225
fastlyc1275
hastilyc1275
i-radlichec1275
as soon asc1290
aright1297
bedenea1300
in little wevea1300
withoute(n dwella1300
alrightc1300
as fast (as)c1300
at firstc1300
in placec1300
in the placec1300
mididonec1300
outrightc1300
prestc1300
streck13..
titec1300
without delayc1300
that stounds1303
rada1325
readya1325
apacec1325
albedenec1330
as (also also) titec1330
as blivec1330
as line rightc1330
as straight as linec1330
in anec1330
in presentc1330
newlyc1330
suddenlyc1330
titelyc1330
yernec1330
as soon1340
prestly1340
streckly1340
swithly?1370
evenlya1375
redelya1375
redlya1375
rifelya1375
yeplya1375
at one blastc1380
fresha1382
ripelyc1384
presentc1385
presently1385
without arrestc1385
readilyc1390
in the twinkling of a looka1393
derflya1400
forwhya1400
skeetlya1400
straighta1400
swifta1400
maintenantc1400
out of handc1400
wightc1400
at a startc1405
immediately1420
incontinent1425
there and then1428
onenec1429
forwithc1430
downright?a1439
agatec1440
at a tricec1440
right forth1440
withouten wonec1440
whipc1460
forthwith1461
undelayed1470
incessantly1472
at a momentc1475
right nowc1475
synec1475
incontinently1484
promptly1490
in the nonce?a1500
uncontinent1506
on (upon, in) the instant1509
in short1513
at a clap1519
by and by1526
straightway1526
at a twitch1528
at the first chop1528
maintenantly1528
on a tricea1529
with a tricec1530
at once1531
belively1532
straightwaysa1533
short days1533
undelayedly1534
fro hand1535
indelayedly1535
straight forth1536
betimesc1540
livelyc1540
upononc1540
suddenly1544
at one (or a) dash?1550
at (the) first dash?1550
instantly1552
forth of hand1564
upon the nines1568
on the nail1569
at (also in, with) a thoughtc1572
indilately1572
summarily1578
at one (a) chop1581
amain1587
straightwise1588
extempore1593
presto1598
upon the place1600
directly1604
instant1604
just now1606
with a siserary1607
promiscuously1609
at (in) one (an) instant1611
on (also upon) the momenta1616
at (formerly also on or upon) sight1617
hand to fist1634
fastisha1650
nextly1657
to rights1663
straightaway1663
slap1672
at first bolt1676
point-blank1679
in point1680
offhand1686
instanter1688
sonica1688
flush1701
like a thought1720
in a crack1725
momentary1725
bumbye1727
clacka1734
plumba1734
right away1734
momentarily1739
momentaneously1753
in a snap1768
right off1771
straight an end1778
abruptedly1784
in a whistle1784
slap-bang1785
bang?1795
right off the reel1798
in a whiff1800
in a flash1801
like a shot1809
momently1812
in a brace or couple of shakes1816
in a gird1825
(all) in a rush1829
in (also at, on) short (also quick) order1830
straightly1830
toot sweetc1830
in two twos1838
rectly1843
quick-stick1844
short metre1848
right1849
at the drop of a (occasionally the) hat1854
off the hooks1860
quicksticks1860
straight off1873
bang off1886
away1887
in quick sticks (also in a quick stick)1890
ek dum1895
tout de suite1895
bung1899
one time1899
prompt1910
yesterday1911
in two ups1934
presto changeo1946
now-now1966
presto change1987
the world > action or operation > manner of action > slowness of action or operation > [interjection] > deprecating haste
softlya1500
softc1500
soft swift1597
pole pole1934
a1400 (a1325) Cursor Mundi (Fairf. 14) l. 341 Al his comandement was done squyfter [Vesp. Suiftliker] þan any eye may wynke.
1597 T. Morley Plaine & Easie Introd. Musicke 123 Soft swift, you who are so ready to find faultes, I pray you let vs see howe you can mend them.
1600 W. Shakespeare Merchant of Venice iii. ii. 197 My eyes my Lord can looke as swift as yours. View more context for this quotation
1667 J. Milton Paradise Lost vi. 190 A noble stroke..Which hung not, but so swift with tempest fell On the proud Crest of Satan, that [etc.] . View more context for this quotation
1808 W. Scott Marmion vi. xxii. 349 Himself he swift on horseback threw.
3. Hyphenated to present participle and occasionally to a finite part of a verb, on the analogy of combinations in Compounds 3.
ΚΠ
1729 R. Savage Wanderer ii. 371 The Roof swift~kindles from the beaming Ground.
1730 J. Thomson Summer in Seasons 84 Swift-shrinking back, I stand aghast.
1735 W. Somervile Chace i. 109 To rein the Steed Swift-stretching o'er the Plain.
1820 J. Keats Lamia i, in Lamia & Other Poems 10 She..Blush'd a live damask, and swift-lisping said [etc.].
1887 W. Morris tr. Homer Odyssey II. xi. 190 Pouring the tear-drops swift-following each on each.
Compounds
C1. Special collocations of the adjective:
swift cut n. = speedy cut n. at speedy adj. 7; also in names of species of animals distinguished by swift running or flight, as swift lizard, swift snake, swift swallow, swift tern.
ΘΚΠ
the world > health and disease > ill health > animal disease or disorder > disorders of horses > [noun] > disorders of legs > cutting
speedy cut1692
swift cut1725
swish cut1725
cut1831
1601 P. Holland tr. Pliny Hist. World I. xi. xlvii. 351 That Martinets have feet: like as also the swift Swallow called Oce.
1725 R. Bradley Chomel's Dictionaire Œconomique 5 Y 4 b/2 If Scabs be under his Knee on the inside, it is the Swift-Cut, and he will illy endure galloping.
1802 G. Shaw Gen. Zool. III. i. 251 Swift Lizard. Lacerta Velox.
1802 G. Shaw Gen. Zool. III. ii. 510 Swift Snake. Coluber Cursor.
1817 J. F. Stephens Shaw's Gen. Zool. X. i. 97 Swift Swallow (Hirundo Velox).
1889 H. Saunders Man. Brit. Birds 640 The Swift Tern. S[terna] bergii of Lichtenstein (S. velox of Rüppell).
C2. Combinations of the adjective: parasynthetic. † swift-hoofed adj. (also swift-hoved) Obsolete
swift-fated adj.
swift-finned adj.
ΚΠ
1723 R. Blackmore Alfred iii. 93 The swift-finn'd Racers of the Flood.
swift-handed adj.
ΚΠ
1841 T. Carlyle On Heroes ii. 76 A swift-handed, deep-hearted race of men.
swift-heeled adj. = swift-footed adj.
ΚΠ
1634 W. Habington Castara i. 36 No suppliant breath Stayes the speed of swift-heel'd death.
1710 W. Congreve Ode to Ld. Godolphin in Wks. 1097 Vary'ing anon her Theme, she takes Delight The swift-heel'd Horse to praise.
ΚΠ
?1615 G. Chapman tr. Homer Odysses (new ed.) vi. 149 In the wilde Bores chace; Or swift-hou'd Hart.
swift-paced adj.
ΚΠ
1598 Bp. J. Hall Virgidemiarum: 3 Last Bks. iv. iii. 25 Say'st thou this Colt shall prooue a swift-pac'd steed, Only because a Iennet did him breed?
1716 Loyal Mourner for Best of Princes 69 From swift-paced Time's destructive Power free.
1870 W. C. Bryant tr. Homer Iliad II. xiv. 59 For much he feared to offend the swift-paced Night.
swift-streamed adj.
ΚΠ
1594 1st Pt. Raigne Selimus 2407 Leaving the banks of swift-stream'd Thermodon.
swift-tongued adj.
ΚΠ
1746 P. Francis & W. Dunkin tr. Horace Satires i. vii. 10 The swift-tongued Barrus.
C3. † swift-flight adj. Obsolete flying swiftly.† swift horse running n. Obsolete horse racing.
ΘΚΠ
the world > movement > progressive motion > moving with current of air or water > motion in the air > [adjective] > swiftly
winged1513
flying1535
swift-flight?1592
wingy1658
society > armed hostility > military equipment > operation and use of weapons > action of propelling missile > [adjective] > flying swiftly
swift-flight?1592
?1592 Trag. Solyman & Perseda i. iii. 42 To change a bullet with our swift flight shot.
ΘΚΠ
society > leisure > sport > types of sport or game > racing or race > horse racing > [noun]
runningeOE
horse-running1504
swift horse running?a1513
horse racingc1654
horse-coursing1764
jockeyinga1770
sport of kings1918
a1513 W. Dunbar Poems (1998) I. 77 Halking, hunting and swift hors rynning.
C4. With other adjectives, expressing a combination of two qualities.
swift-frightful adj.
ΚΠ
1837 T. Carlyle French Revol. iii. v. vi A thing so incalculable, swift-frightful.
swift-slow adj.
ΚΠ
1605 J. Sylvester tr. G. de S. Du Bartas Deuine Weekes & Wks. ii. i. 278 Painefull griefes, whose swift-slow posting-pace..our dying life doth chase.
C5. Combinations of the adverb with participles.
swift-advancing adj.
ΚΠ
1859 ‘G. Eliot’ Adam Bede II. iv. xxxv. 367 Not knowing where to turn for refuge from swift-advancing shame.
swift-burning adj.
ΚΠ
1845 J. Phillips & C. G. B. Daubeny Geol. in Encycl. Metrop. VI. 592/2 Swift~burning thick coals.
swift-darkening adj.
ΚΠ
1933 W. de la Mare Fleeting & Other Poems 33 Even the wise..Have smiled with swift-darkening eyes.
swift-declining adj.
ΚΠ
a1592 R. Greene Hist. Orlando Furioso (1594) sig. Aiiiv To Tanais whose swift declining flouds [etc.].
swift-eddying adj.
ΚΠ
1923 H. Belloc Sonnets & Verse 13 Anchor hold against swift-eddying time.
swift-falling adj.
ΚΠ
1791 W. Blake French Revol. in Compl. Writings (1972) 141 Aumont, whose chaos-born soul Eternally wand'ring a Comet and swift-falling fire, pale enter'd the chamber.
1951 W. de la Mare Winged Chariot 38 Swift-falling flower, slowly fretting stone Clock on unheeded those who lie alone.
swift-flashing adj.
ΚΠ
1855 W. Whitman Leaves of Grass 62 The great gay-pennanted..steamboat.., with her..delicate swift-flashing paddles.
1930 E. Blunden Summer's Fancy 44 With swift-flashing hope.
swift-flowing adj.
ΚΠ
1848 T. A. Buckley tr. Homer Iliad 97 A swift-flowing river.
swift-flying adj.
ΚΠ
1606 J. Sylvester tr. G. de S. Du Bartas Deuine Weekes & Wks. (new ed.) ii. iii. 57 A swift-flying Fame, Which (lately but) from stately Memphis came.
1871 H. W. Longfellow Div. Trag. i. ix. 70 The swift-flying vapours hid themselves In caverns.
swift-gliding adj.
ΚΠ
1715 A. Pope tr. Homer Iliad I. iii. 17 Swift-gliding Mists the dusky Fields invade.
swift-moving adj.
ΚΠ
1872 W. Whitman As Strong Bird on Pinions Free 4 Thee as another equally needed sun, America-radiant, ablaze, swift-moving, fructifying all.
1955 J. R. R. Tolkien Return of King v. i. 19 He wondered if he was..still in the swift-moving dream in which he had been wrapped.
swift-posting adj.
ΚΠ
1619 M. Drayton Legend Robert Dvke of Normandy in Poems (new ed.) 314 Times swift posting hours [1605, 1608 times ne'r-turning howres].
swift-pursuing adj.
ΚΠ
1785 T. Dwight Conquest of Canäan viii. 188 Once hast thou fled the swift-pursuing spear, But fled'st in vain.
1948 R. Graves Coll. Poems 1914–47 231 The swift-pursuing reed.
swift-recurring adj.
ΚΠ
1841 R. Browning Pippa Passes i, in Bells & Pomegranates No. I 7/1 At swift-recurring intervals.
swift-revenging adj.
ΚΠ
a1592 R. Greene Hist. Orlando Furioso (1594) sig. G4 And neuer sheath thy swift reuenging swoorde, Till..The higgest mountaines swimme in streames of bloud.
swift-running adj.
ΚΠ
1538 T. Elyot Dict. Alipedes, swyfte runnynge horses.
1833 J. Rennie Alphabet Sci. Angling 59 The fish more peculiar to swift-running waters.
swift-rushing adj.
ΚΠ
1673 J. Milton On Death Fair Infant x, in Poems (new ed.) 20 To turn Swift-rushing black perdition hence.
swift-sliding adj.
ΚΠ
a1618 J. Sylvester New-polished Spectacles in tr. G. de S. Du Bartas Diuine Weekes & Wks. (1621) 1177 You silver Brooks,..Whose smooth swift-sliding pase Still, still roules down apace.
swift-sprung adj.
ΚΠ
1935 R. Kipling King & Sea in Times 17 July 19/4 I opened him all the guile of the seas—Their sullen, swift-sprung treacheries.
swift-starting adj.
ΚΠ
1596 Raigne of Edward III sig. I2 Swift starting feare Hath buzd a cold dismaie through all our armie. View more context for this quotation
swift-stealing adj.
ΚΠ
1669 S. Sturmy Mariners Mag. i. ii. 16 I hope to..hear, That the English Mariner will make better use of swift-stealing Time.
swift-striding adj.
ΚΠ
1929 R. Kipling Poems 1886–1929 iii. 341 One silent, swart, swift-striding camel, oceanward wending.
swift-swimming adj.
ΚΠ
1888 G. B. Goode Amer. Fishes 78 It is a swift-swimming fish.
Draft additions December 2005
swift half n. British colloquial an alcoholic drink (often, but not necessarily, a half-pint of beer, lager, etc.), esp. one intended to be drunk quickly during a brief visit to a public house; cf. quick one n. at quick adj., n.1, and adv. Compounds 1b.
ΚΠ
1973 Sunday Gleaner (Kingston, Jamaica) 1 July (Sunday Mag.) 10/3 [London:] Dad cannot invite Prince Phillip for a swift half in the local or take him along to watch the village football club.
1990 Sunday Times (Nexis) 15 July The Forbidden Fruit is a strong, Belgian beer which is fermented in a bottle (a bottle, incidentally, tastelessly decorated with a picture of Adam and Eve sharing a swift half).
1995 Empire Nov. 111/1 A lascivious evening spent in some shocking, lap-dancing establishment, followed by a swift half in the Viper Room, spiced with off-the-record Hollywood gossip.
2004 T. Turner Failure's Guide to Flirting 44 I'm sure we've all been there—you go for a swift half after work and many hours later you're still in the pub, singing ‘California Dreaming’ and being restrained from standing on the table.
This entry has not yet been fully updated (first published 1919; most recently modified version published online June 2022).
swiftv.1
Nautical.
transitive. To tighten or make fast by means of a rope or ropes drawn taut; e.g. the rigging or masts, the capstan-bars, or a boat or ship by passing a rope round the gunwale, or round the bottom and upperworks, to prevent strain. Cf. swifter n.
ΘΚΠ
society > travel > travel by water > other nautical operations > [verb (transitive)] > make firm or taut > by specific means
swift1485
to ride down1836
1485 in M. Oppenheim Naval Accts. & Inventories Henry VII (1896) 47 Swyftyng takles..xj.
1487 in M. Oppenheim Naval Accts. & Inventories Henry VII (1896) 62 Swiftyng takles..viij.
1495 in M. Oppenheim Naval Accts. & Inventories Henry VII (1896) 275 The pollankers and Swifting takles of the foremaste.
a1625 H. Mainwaring Nomenclator Navalis (Harl. 2301) Swifteing. When wee bring Shipps agrounde, or Careene them, wee vse to Swift the Masts, to ease them and strengthen [them], wch is done in this manner: they Lash fast all the Pendants of the Swifters, and Tackles, wth a Roape, close to the Mast, as neare their Blocks as they cann.
1704 J. Harris Lexicon Technicum I Swifting the Capstan-Bars, is straining a Rope all round the outer ends of the Capstan-Bars, in order to strengthen them, and make them bear all alike, and together, when the Men heave or work there.
1799 Hull Advertiser 19 Oct. 2/1 One ship's main-mast, one fore-mast, and one mizen-mast, all swifted together, which were towing at the stern of the brig.
1840 R. H. Dana Two Years before Mast xxxv. 444 We were obliged to go aloft upon the ropes and shearpoles with which the rigging was swifted in.
1867 W. H. Smyth & E. Belcher Sailor's Word-bk. (at cited word) The rigging is..swifted down preparatory to replacing the ratlines truly horizontal after setting up.
1883 Man. Seamanship for Boys' Training Ships Royal Navy 200 Q. What do you mean by rigging the capstan? A. The bars being shipped, pinned, and swifted in place.
This entry has not yet been fully updated (first published 1919; most recently modified version published online September 2018).
swiftv.2
rare.
intransitive. To move swiftly; to hasten.
ΘΚΠ
the world > movement > rate of motion > swiftness > move swiftly [verb (intransitive)]
lakeOE
flyOE
runOE
scour13..
jace1393
hie1398
spina1400
fleetc1400
glentc1400
stripc1400
suea1450
carryc1450
speed1488
scud1532
streek1598
winga1616
to clip it1616
hackney1617
swifta1618
whirryc1630
dust1673
whew1684
race1702
stroke1735
cut1797
spank1807
skid1815
speela1818
crack1824
skimmer1824
slap1827
clip1832
skeet1838
marvel1841
lick1850
travel1850
rush1852
zip1852
sail1876
rabbit1887
move1906
high-tail1908
to ball the jack1914
buzz1914
shift1922
giddap1938
burn1942
hoosh1943
bomb1966
shred1977
a1618 J. Sylvester Mem. Mortalitie ii. iv Time flits as Winde, and as a Torrent swifteth.
1935 R. Macaulay Personal Pleasures 195 There goes the Atalanta among cars; see how it swifts along, passing all others.
This entry has not yet been fully updated (first published 1919; most recently modified version published online June 2021).
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n.11336
n.21530
adj.adv.c888
v.11485
v.2a1618