swift
7
2.9
- noun
- /swɪft/
:
vencejo
- "I know," I tell her, watching the gauzy swifts head east.
- chimney swifts
- swifts and swallows
Examples
-
The crowd grew quiet again, and again they could hear the swifts chittering in the air.
Fiction book (1992) -
A smallish falcon has burst the circle of swifts, which it feigns not to menace.
Fiction book (1993) -
The swifts darted through the sky, showcasing their incredible speed and agility.
-
As summer approached, we often spotted swifts flying in graceful loops above the fields.
-
The swift is a master of aerial acrobatics, easily outpacing other birds in flight.
Synonyms
A small dark bird with long wings that flies fast and nests under roofs and cliffs
A common fast bird with long, narrow wings and a high, piercing call that nests under roof edges
A small fast North American bird that nests in chimneys and eats flying insects
Compounds
A small fast North American bird that nests in chimneys and eats flying insects
- Philippine
A small fast bird from Southeast Asia with an upright crest that nests in trees
A common fast bird with long, narrow wings and a high, piercing call that nests under roof edges
- Philippine
A bird from Southeast Asia with an upright crest that makes nests in trees
How Fast
Surface Forms
Etymology
Swift for the bird comes from the same old English word for 'moving quickly', and it shares the root with the adjective swift and the adverb swiftly. That's why the bird is called a swift: it flies very fast and with quick movements.