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Definition of swiftlet

swiftlet

/ˈswɪft.lət/
swift · let
Plural:swiftlets
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swiftlet Lexical Profile

swiftlet Game Scores & Validity

• noun

1

A small insectivorous bird of the swift family, primarily native to southern Asia, Australia, and the Pacific islands, known for navigating caves using echolocation and, in some species, constructing nests entirely from solidified saliva.

Example

"The highly prized edible bird's nest soup is made from the dissolved saliva nests of the cave-dwelling swiftlet."

Synonyms
View all synonyms for swiftlet

• Nearby Words

swell
swellshark
swift
swiftlet
swimsuit
swing
swiss chard

Word Origin & Etymology

Derived from 'swift' (referring to the bird family) combined with the diminutive suffix '-let', denoting its smaller size.

Usage Trend

Historical frequency of usage in published text.

180019102020
Data source: Google Books Ngram Viewer

Cite this Entry

Wordmom. (2026). Definition of Swiftlet. In Wordmom Dictionary. Retrieved Oct 16, 2026, from https://wordmom.com/dictionary/swiftlet
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