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flit

Archaic Terms
Pronunciation

Understanding ARPABET Pronunciation

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The pronunciation guide uses the ARPABET phonetic system—the same system used in speech recognition and text-to-speech applications.

Vowel Examples:
AE1 = cat, bat
EH1 = bed, head
IY1 = see, me
OW1 = go, boat
UW1 = boot, do
Stress Numbers:
0 = no stress (unstressed)
1 = primary stress (loud)
2 = secondary stress (medium)
Example:
AH0 TH IY1 N AH0
= a-THEE-na (Athena)

The stressed syllable (marked with 1) is pronounced louder and clearer than others.

Quick Definition

To move lightly, swiftly, and briefly from place to place; to dart about quickly or migrate suddenly, suggesting ephemeral or butterfly-like motion.

Detailed Definition
“Flit” suggests airy motion—birds, spirits, or thoughts. In Scottish and Romantic poetry, it denotes seasonal change or soul’s departure. The verb’s lightness suits ethereal or melancholic tones, where presence is brief. Poets use it to evoke impermanence, freedom, or stealth, enriching imagery of transience, escape, or supernatural visitation.
Example
Example in poetry:
"The swallow flits from eave to eave," in a spring lyric; In Shakespeare’s Macbeth: "The air / Nimbly and sweetly recommends itself / Unto our gentle senses"—and elsewhere, "flit" for quick motion; "Her thoughts flit like moths in moonlight"; "The spirit flits between worlds"; "Hope flits, but never alights"; The dream flitted away at dawn.
Additional Notes
“Flit” suggests swift, light movement—of birds, spirits, or souls; in Scottish or Romantic verse, it conveys migration, departure, or ethereal presence, often marking transitions between worlds or states of being.
Also Known As
fly dart move swiftly
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