Swiftly

How to spell swiftly

7 letters · 2 syllables

How to pronounce swiftly

Say the part in capitals loudest.

What does swiftly mean?

1. adverbIn a quick manner; rapidly or without delay.

Swiftly in a sentence

• The support team responded swiftly to every complaint.

• Prices can rise swiftly when supplies run short.

Where does swiftly come from?

Language of origin: Germanic

This word is built on the adjective 'swift', which comes from the Old English 'swift', meaning fast or quick, and which is thought to derive from a root meaning 'to move in a course' or 'to sweep along', related to the Old English verb 'swifan' 'to revolve or sweep'. The adverb form adds the native English suffix '-ly', a worn-down descendant of Old English '-lice', which originally meant 'having the body or form of' and came to mean simply 'in the manner of'. So 'swiftly' literally describes doing something in a swift manner. The word is genuinely native English rather than a later Latin or French borrowing, which is why it feels so plain and unfussy. The only mild spelling point is the '-ftly' cluster, where three consonants sit together before the suffix, and the fact that the base 'swift' keeps its 't' intact when '-ly' is added.

How the word is built

• swift (rapid, from Old English swift)
• -ly (adverb suffix, from Old English -lice 'in the manner of')