Etymograph

English

Swift

Swift comes from Old English swift ‘swift, quick’, from swīfan ‘to move in a course, revolve’, and ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *ksweybʰ-.

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*ksweybʰ-‘to move swiftly, make a swift movement’reconstructed
  2. Proto-Indo-European, derivedc. 4500–2500 BCE*kswéybʰ-e-tireconstructed
  3. Proto-Germanicc. 500 BCE–200 CE*swībaną‘to revolve’reconstructed
  4. Old Englishc. 450–1150swīfan‘to move in a course, revolve’
  5. Old English, derivedc. 450–1150swift‘swift, quick’
  6. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500same form
  7. Englishearliest quotation 2014Swift

attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed

Lineage

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*ksweybʰ-‘to move swiftly, make a swift movement’reconstructed
  2. Proto-Indo-European, derivedc. 4500–2500 BCE*kswéybʰ-e-tireconstructed
  3. Proto-Germanicc. 500 BCE–200 CE*swībaną‘to revolve’reconstructed
  4. Old Englishc. 450–1150swīfan‘to move in a course, revolve’
  5. Old English, derivedc. 450–1150swift‘swift, quick’
  6. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500same form
  7. Englishearliest quotation 2014Swift

Earliest quotation: 2014, John Timmer, A fast look at Swift, Apple’s new programming language: “If anyone outside Apple saw Swift coming, they certainly…”

Linked words

through Old English swīfan ‘to move in a course, revolve’

swivel, 1 more

Today it means

name A surname transferred from the nickname, originally a nickname for a swift or quick person.

Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.

Etymograph / Proto-Indo-European *ksweybʰ- / Swift

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