swallow dive
- noun
- /ˈswɑloʊ daɪv/
- Specialized
:
zambullida en picada
- He performed a perfect swallow dive into the pool.
Examples
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Many professional divers practice the swallow dive to improve their form and aesthetics.
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Her swallow dive was so graceful it drew applause from the audience.
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The gymnast executed a perfect swallow dive into the pool, impressing the judges.
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Did you see her swallow dive from the platform?
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Her swallow dive was so graceful that it drew applause from the audience.
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Many professional divers practice the swallow dive to enhance their technique for competitions.
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He executed a flawless swallow dive, making the entry into the water look effortless.
Synonyms
104
1.0
A headfirst jump into water from a high board
3
5.1
A dive where the diver arches their back and stretches their arms before entering the water
Surface Forms
Morphology
The meaning—a dive that resembles the flight or shape of a swallow—is directly derivable from combining 'swallow' (the bird) with 'dive' (a plunge into water), with 'swallow' functioning as a modifier meaning 'swallow-like'. This animal+action naming pattern (e.g. 'swan dive') is cross-linguistically common and follows regular English compounding, so a B1 learner who knows both words would likely infer the meaning.
Etymology
Swallow dive comes from a bird image: when a diver bends the back and stretches out their arms before entering the water, they look like a flying swallow, and the movement is a kind of dive. That's why the name describes this graceful way 'to dive'.