Moving quickly downward through the air in a sudden, curved motion, like a bird diving to catch prey.
From Middle English 'swopen,' possibly from Old Norse 'sūpa' meaning 'to sweep.' The word originally described a sweeping motion that evolved to describe the rapid diving motion of birds.
Hawks can reach speeds of over 200 mph when swooping to hunt—they've evolved special bones in their nostrils to slow the air down so they don't suffocate from the impact of diving that fast.
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