Swifan

Part of speech: verb

Definitions

1. An Old English verb meaning to move quickly or rush along ; to spin or rotate around a central point
2. A verb from Old English describing rapid motion or sweeping onward ; a movement of turning or circling about an axis
3. Old English for hurrying forward at speed ; turning or wheeling round in a circular course

Etymology: Swifan is the Old English verb meaning "to move quickly, to sweep along, to go on the move," and it is the direct ancestor of modern "sweep" in the sense of a broad, steady motion. Its family is the root that also gave "swift," which in Old English was the adjective "swift" from the same stem, sharing the sense of speed and sudden movement. The surprise is that "swift" descends from the same root and once carried more of this sense of moving along in a sweeping rush, while the verb itself is largely gone from modern English, surviving only in the traces of its meaning.