swallow2

 
Pronunciation: /ˈswɒləʊ/

noun

  • a migratory swift-flying songbird with a forked tail and long pointed wings, feeding on insects in flight. Compare with woodswallow.
    • Family Hirundinidae: several genera, in particular Hirundo, and numerous species, e.g. the widespread H. rustica (North American name: barn swallow)

Phrases

one swallow does not make a summer

proverb a single fortunate event doesn’t mean that what follows will also be good.

Origin:

Old English swealwe, of Germanic origin; related to Dutch zwaluw and German Schwalbe