English
swift
Swift comes from Proto-Indo-European *(s)weyp- ‘to twist’.
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*(s)weyp-‘to twist’reconstructed
- Proto-Germanicc. 500 BCE–200 CE*swiftazreconstructed
- Old Englishc. 450–1150swift
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500swift
- Englishearliest quotation c. 1602swift
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor
Lineage
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*(s)weyp-‘to twist’reconstructed
- Proto-Germanicc. 500 BCE–200 CE*swiftazreconstructed
- Old Englishc. 450–1150swift
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500swift
- Englishearliest quotation c. 1602swift
Earliest quotation: c. 1602, William Shakespeare, The Tragedie of Troylus and Cressida: “Light boats sail swift, though greater hulks draw deep.”.
Every English word from Proto-Indo-European *(s)weyp-
Today it means
adj Fast; quick; rapid.
Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.
Etymograph / Proto-Indo-European *(s)weyp- / swift