swiftlet

[ swift-lit ]

noun

1. any of several swifts of the genus Collocalia, of southeastern Asia, the East Indies, and Australia, certain species of which use saliva to construct nests, which are used in making bird's-nest soup.

swiftlet

/ ˈswɪftlɪt /

noun

1. any of various small swifts of the Asian genus Collocalia that often live in caves and use echolocation: the nests, which are made of hardened saliva, are used in oriental cookery to make birds' nest soup

Word History and Origins

Origin of swiftlet¹

First recorded in 1890–95; swift + -let

Example Sentences

One Swiftlet is world-famous on account of its saliva-built nest, which is the edible swallows' nest we used to read about.

From Project Gutenberg

The edible-nest swiftlet (Collocalia fuciphaga) is the commonest swift on the Nilgiris.

From Project Gutenberg