Swift

Part of speech: adjective

Pronunciation: /swɪft/

Definitions

1. Defined by a rapidity of movement or process, it relates to actions taken promptly and with effectiveness while also indicating a degree of agility in execution
2. Characterized by quick motion or speedy progression, often describing responses or actions completed without delay and marked by efficiency
3. Indicating the ability to move or react with great speed and coordination, involving promptness and dexterity in physical or mental tasks

Etymology: The adjective "swift" is older than most readers would guess as a word about speed. Its Old English ancestor, "swift," meant something closer to "turning" or "revolving," and the link runs back to a Proto-Indo-European root meaning "to twist" or "wind around." That sense survives in the family of words it shares with "swivel," a close relative whose meaning still involves turning on a pivot. Speed came later, as the idea of something whirling or sweeping through space shifted toward moving rapidly through it. Old English "swīfan," meaning to revolve, sweep, or wend, shows the same root in verb form, and Icelandic "svipta," meaning to pull quickly, preserves a related strand of motion. Across the Germanic languages, the common thread is movement that twists, turns, or sweeps, which the English adjective then narrowed to rapid motion.

Synonyms: fast, quick, rapid, speedy, hasty

Antonyms: slow, lethargic, sluggish