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Swallow vs Swift - What's the difference?

swallow | swift |

As nouns the difference between swallow and swift

is that swallow is (archaic) a deep chasm or abyss in the earth or swallow can be a small, migratory bird of the hirundinidae family with long, pointed, moon-shaped wings and a forked tail which feeds on the wing by catching insects while swift is (obsolete) the current of a stream.

As a verb swallow

is to cause (food, drink etc) to pass from the mouth into the stomach; to take into the stomach through the throat.

As a adjective swift is

fast; quick; rapid.

As a adverb swift is

(obsolete|poetic) swiftly.

swallow

English

Etymology 1

From (etyl) swolowen, swolwen, . See also (l). The noun is from late (etyl) , from the verb.

Alternative forms

* (l), (l) (obsolete)

Verb

(en verb)
  • To cause (food, drink etc.) to pass from the mouth into the stomach; to take into the stomach through the throat.
  • * 1898 , , (Moonfleet) Chapter 4:
    • What the liquor was I do not know, but it was not so strong but that I could swallow it in great gulps and found it less burning than my burning throat.
  • * 2011 , Jonathan Jones, The Guardian , 21 Apr 2011:
    • Clothes are to be worn and food is to be swallowed : they remain trapped in the physical world.
  • To take (something) in so that it disappears; to consume, absorb.
  • * John Locke
    • The necessary provision of the life swallows the greatest part of their time.
  • * 2010 , "What are the wild waves saying", The Economist , 28 Oct 2010:
    • His body, like so many others swallowed by the ocean’s hungry maw, was never found.
  • To take food down into the stomach; to make the muscular contractions of the oesophagus to achieve this, often taken as a sign of nervousness or strong emotion.
    • My throat was so sore that I was unable to swallow .
  • * 1979 , VC Andrews, Flowers in the Attic :
    • She swallowed nervously then, appearing near sick with what she had to say.
  • To accept easily or without questions; to believe, accept.
  • * Sir Thomas Browne
    • Though that story be not so readily swallowed .
  • * 2011 , Madeleine Bunting, The Guardian , 22 Apr 2011:
    • Americans swallowed his tale because they wanted to.
  • To engross; to appropriate; usually with up .
  • * Alexander Pope
    • Homer excels in this, that he swallowed up the honour of those who succeeded him.
  • To retract; to recant.
    • to swallow one's opinions
  • * Shakespeare
    • swallowed his vows whole
  • To put up with; to bear patiently or without retaliation.
    • to swallow an affront or insult
    Derived terms
    * bitter pill to swallow * swallowable * swallow one's pride * swallow up

    See also

    * dysphagia

    Noun

    (en noun)
  • (archaic) A deep chasm or abyss in the earth.
  • The amount swallowed in one gulp; the act of swallowing.
    • He took the aspirin with a single swallow of water.

    Etymology 2

    (wikipedia swallow) (etyl) swealwe, from Germanic. Cognate with Danish svale, Dutch zwaluw, German Schwalbe, Swedish svala.

    Noun

    (en noun)
  • A small, migratory bird of the Hirundinidae family with long, pointed, moon-shaped wings and a forked tail which feeds on the wing by catching insects.
  • (nautical) The aperture in a block through which the rope reeves.
    • Synonyms
    * (small bird of Hirundunudae) martlet * barn swallow (official British name)
    Derived terms
    * one swallow does not make a summer * swallow-tailed

    Anagrams

    * wallows

    swift

    English

    Adjective

    (er)
  • fast; quick; rapid.
  • * {{quote-news
    • , year=2011 , date=November 12 , author= , title=International friendly: England 1-0 Spain , work=BBC Sport citation , page= , passage=Spain were provoked into a response and Villa almost provided a swift equaliser when he rounded Hart but found the angle too acute and could only hit the side-netting.}}
  • Capable of moving at high speeds.

    • Noun

    (en noun)
  • (obsolete) The current of a stream.
  • A small plain-colored bird of the family Apodidae that resembles a swallow and is noted for its rapid flight. Other common names for the birds of this family include swiftlet, needletail and spinetail.
  • Some lizards of the genus .
  • A moth of the family , (swift moth), ghost moth.
  • * {{quote-magazine, year=2013, month=May-June, author= William E. Conner
    • , title= An Acoustic Arms Race , volume=101, issue=3, page=206-7, magazine=(American Scientist) , passage=Earless ghost swift moths become “invisible” to echolocating bats by forming mating clusters close (less than half a meter) above vegetation and effectively blending into the clutter of echoes that the bat receives from the leaves and stems around them.}}

    Synonyms

    * (lizard) (fence lizard), (spiny lizard)

    Derived terms

    * (steam) swiftwater, * (bird) (common swift) () * (lizard) (fence swift) ()

    Derived terms

    * swiftly

    See also

    * (black martin) * (black swift) * (hawk swallow) * devil bird * devil screecher * (swingdevil) * (screech martin) * shriek owl * (chimney swallow) * (palm swift) * (tree swift) * (pine lizard)

    Adverb

    (en adverb)
  • (obsolete, poetic) Swiftly.
  • * 1602 , , II. iii. 263:
    • Light boats sail swift , though greater hulks draw deep.
  • * 1793 ,
    • Ply swift and strong the oar.

    Synonyms

    * (l) ----