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swoop

(swp)

v. swooped, swoop·ing, swoops

v.intr.

1. To move in a sudden sweep: The bird swooped down on its prey.

2. To make a rush or an attack with a sudden sweeping movement. Often used with down: The children swooped down on the pile of presents.

v.tr.

To seize or snatch in a sudden sweeping movement.

The act or an instance of swooping.

[Middle English swopen, to sweep along, from Old English swāpan, to sweep, swing.]

Indo-European & Semitic Roots Appendices

Thousands of entries in the dictionary include etymologies that trace their origins back to reconstructed proto-languages. You can obtain more information about these forms in our online appendices:

Indo-European Roots

Semitic Roots

The Indo-European appendix covers nearly half of the Indo-European roots that have left their mark on English words. A more complete treatment of Indo-European roots and the English words derived from them is available in our Dictionary of Indo-European Roots.

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