swiftlet

[ swift-lit ]
/ ˈswɪft lɪt /

noun

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.

Origin of swiftlet

First recorded in 1890–95; swift + -let

Words nearby swiftlet

swift's disease, swift, jonathan, swift-footed, swifter, swiftie, swiftlet, swig, swiler, swill, swim, swim against the current

Example sentences from the Web for swiftlet

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

    An Australian Bird Book |John Albert Leach

British Dictionary definitions for swiftlet

swiftlet
/ (ˈswɪftlɪt) /

noun

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