swietenecæ

pl. [Mod. Lat. swieten (ia); Lat. fem. pl. adj. suff. -eœ.] Bot.: A tribe of Cedrelacese having the stamens monadelphous. swie-te-ni-a, subst. [Named after Gerard Van Swieten (1700-1772), physician to Maria The res a of Austria.] Bot.: Mahogany-tree; the typical genus of Swieteneæ. Calyx short, five-cleft; petals five, stamens united into a tube having at the tip ten anthers; fruit, a capsule with five cells, and many winged seeds. Only known species Swietenia mahogani . [MAHOGANY.] swift, *swifte, *swyfte, a .. adv . & 8. [A. S. for swipt ; cf. Icel. svipta =to pull quickly; A. S. swifan =to move quickly; Icel. swifa = to turn, to rove, to ramble; Ger. schweifen =to sweep, or move along, to rove, to ramble; Icel. svipa =to swoop, flash. From the same root as sweep and swoop .] A. As adjective : IMG:content-0687.png:[blocks in formation] (1) A tackle used in tightening standing rigging. (2) A rope encircling the ends of the capstan bars to prevent their flying out of their sockets. 4. Ornith .: A popular name for any species of the family Cypselide; spec if., Cypselus apus , the Common Swift. [CYPSELUS.] "The swift , now removed by strict ornithologists from the swallow family, is a very late bird to arrive, and one one of the earliest to leave. It is a ociated by all bird-lovers with the heart of summer, and, as it darts with a wild scream round street-corners or round some old cathedral towers, it is not surprising that it has earned for itself in the Midland Counties the name of 'deviling."-St. James's Gazette , March 9, 1887. 5. Zool.: The common newt or eft. swift-footed, a. Swift of foot; fleet. *swift-handed, a. Prompt of action; ready to draw the sword. *swift-heeled, a. Swift-footed; fleet.