Swift
/swɪft/noun
Moving or capable of moving very fast; quick.
Did you know?Swift is an old Germanic word with close cousins in other branches of Indo-European, and its deep history shows how languages preserve the feeling of speed long before modern science could measure it.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*swep-
“to move, sweep, or rush”
Proto-Germanic
PGmc
*swipaz
“strong, quick, violent”
Old English
English
swift
“swift, rapid, quick”
Middle English
English
swift
“fast-moving; prompt”
Modern English
English
swift
“moving or capable of moving very fast”