Swift has 11 different meanings across 3 categories:
Noun · Adjective · Proper Noun
United States meat-packer who began the use of refrigerated railroad cars (1839-1903)
"The swift revolutionized the American food industry by pioneering the transport of fresh beef via refrigerated railcars."
an English satirist born in Ireland (1667-1745)
"The author of Gulliver's Travels is Jonathan Swift, an influential Irish satirist."
a small bird that resembles a swallow and is noted for its rapid flight
"The swift dived through the air, catching insects in mid-flight before disappearing into its nest."
common western lizard; seen on logs or rocks
"The swift skittered across the sun-warmed log in search of insects."
A small plain-colored bird of the family Apodidae that resembles a swallow and is noted for its rapid flight.
"The radar system processes the incoming signal using a SWIFT algorithm to determine target range and velocity accurately."
Acronym of Stored Waveform Inverse Fourier Transform.
In plain English: A swift is a type of bird known for flying very fast and often nesting on high places like cliffs or buildings.
"The swift caught the insect mid-air with surprising speed."
Usage: Use this word to refer specifically to the fast-flying, swallow-like bird found in many parts of Europe and North America. Do not confuse it with other birds like swallows or swifts when identifying species based on subtle physical differences.
Swiftly.
"The arrow flew swiftly through the air and struck its target."
A surname, from nicknames, originally a nickname for a swift or quick person.
"The bank processed the international transfer using SWIFT codes to ensure accurate routing between institutions."
Acronym of Society for Worldwide Interbank Financial Telecommunication.
The word "swift" comes from the Proto-Germanic root *swiftaz and entered Middle English as a term for something moving quickly or with speed. Its ultimate origin traces back to an ancient Indo-European concept of twisting or winding around, which is also related to modern words like swivel.