swift

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

• adjective Moving or capable of moving with great speed; fast. synonym: fast.
• adjective Coming, occurring, or accomplished quickly.
• adjective Quick to act or react.
• adverb Swiftly. Often used in combination.
• noun A cylinder on a carding machine.
• noun A reel used to hold yarn as it is being wound off.
• noun Any of various small dark insect-eating birds of the family Apodidae, having long pointed wings and a short forked tail, and noted for their swift flight.
• noun Any of various small, fast-moving North American lizards, especially of the genus Sceloporus.

from The Century Dictionary.

• In a swift or rapid manner; swiftly.
• To reef (a sail).
• noun A tackle used in tightening standing rigging.
• Moving with great speed, celerity, velocity, or rapidity; fleet; rapid; speedy.
• Ready; prompt; quick.
• Of short continuance; swiftly or rapidly passing.
• noun The swifter part of a stream; the current.
• noun An adjustable machine upon which a skein of yarn, silk, or other thread is put, in order that it may be wound off.
• noun The main card-cylinder in a flax-carding machine.
• noun A bird of the family Cypselidæ: so called from its rapidity of flight.
• noun A breed of domestic pigeons, of which there are several color-varieties.
• noun The common newt or eft.
• noun One of several small lizards which run with great swiftness, as the common brown fence-lizard of the United States, Sceloporus undulatus. See cut under Sceloporus.
• noun A ghost-swift, ghost-moth, or goat-moth; one of the Epialidæ: so called from the rapid flight.
• noun A goat-moth, Epialus vellida.

from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.

• adjective Moving a great distance in a short time; moving with celerity or velocity; fleet; rapid; quick; speedy; prompt.
• adjective Of short continuance; passing away quickly.
• noun rare The current of a stream.
• noun (Zoöl.) Any one of numerous species of small, long-winged, insectivorous birds of the family Micropodidæ. In form and habits the swifts resemble swallows, but they are destitute of complex vocal muscles and are not singing birds, but belong to a widely different group allied to the humming birds.
• noun (Zoöl.) Any one of several species of lizards, as the pine lizard.
• noun (Zoöl.) The ghost moth. See under Ghost.
• noun A reel, or turning instrument, for winding yarn, thread, etc.; -- used chiefly in the plural.
• noun The main card cylinder of a flax-carding machine.
• adverb Obs. or Poetic Swiftly.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

• adjective fast; quick; rapid.
• adjective Capable of moving at high speeds.
• noun obsolete The current of a stream.
• noun A small plain-colored bird (of the family Micropodidæ) that resembles a swallow and is noted for its rapid flight. Common European swift: Cypselus, ∨ Micropus, apus. The common American, or chimney, swift: Chætura pelagica. The Australian swift: Chætura caudacuta. The European Alpine swift: Cypselus melba. The common Indian swift: Cypselus affinis.
• noun A western fence lizard, swift, blue-belly, Sceloporus occidentalis -- (common western lizard; seen on logs or rocks)
• noun The ghost moth.

from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.

• noun United States meat-packer who began the use of refrigerated railroad cars (1839-1903)
• noun an English satirist born in Ireland (1667-1745)
• adjective moving very fast
• noun a small bird that resembles a swallow and is noted for its rapid flight
• noun common western lizard; seen on logs or rocks