Definitions for: Speed


[n] changing location rapidly
[n] a central nervous system stimulant that increases energy and decreases appetite; used to treat narcolepsy and some forms of depression
[n] a rate (usually rapid) at which something happens; "the project advanced with gratifying speed"
[n] the ratio of the focal length to the diameter of a (camera) lens system
[n] distance travelled per unit time
[v] move faster; "The car accelerated"
[v] cause to move faster; "He accelerated the car"
[v] move very fast; "The runner zipped past us at breakneck speed"
[v] travel at an excessive or illegal velocity; "I got a ticket for speeding"
[v] step on it; "He rushed down the hall to receive his guests"; "The cars raced down the street"



Webster (1913) Definition: Speed, n. [AS. sp?d success, swiftness, from sp?wan to
succeed; akin to D. spoedd, OHG. spuot success, spuot to
succees, Skr. sph[=a] to increase, grow fat. [root]170b.]
1. Prosperity in an undertaking; favorable issue; success.
``For common speed.'' --Chaucer.

O Lord God of my master Abraham, I pray thee, send
me good speed this day. --Gen. xxiv.
12.

2. The act or state of moving swiftly; swiftness; velocity;
rapidly; rate of motion; dispatch; as, the speed a horse
or a vessel.

Speed, to describe whose swiftness number fails.
--Milton.

Note: In kinematics, speedis sometimes used to denote the
amount of velocity without regard to direction of
motion, while velocity is not regarded as known unless
both the direction and the amount are known.

3. One who, or that which, causes or promotes speed or
success. [Obs.] ``Hercules be thy speed!'' --Shak.

God speed, Good speed; prosperity. See Godspeed.

Speed gauge, Speed indicator, & Speed recorder (Mach.),
devices for indicating or recording the rate of a body's
motion, as the number of revolutions of a shaft in a given
time.

Speed lathe (Mach.), a power lathe with a rapidly revolving
spindle, for turning small objects, for polishing, etc.; a
hand lathe.

Speed pulley, a cone pulley with steps.

Syn: Haste; swiftness; celerity; quickness; dispatch;
expedition; hurry; acceleration. See Haste.


Speed (sp[=e]d), v. i. [imp. & p. p. Sped (sp[e^]d),
Speeded; p. pr. & vb. n. Speeding.] [AS. sp[=e]dan, fr.
sp[=e]d, n.; akin to D. spoeden, G. sich sputen. See Speed,
n.]
1. To go; to fare. [Obs.]

To warn him now he is too farre sped. --Remedy of
Love.

2. To experience in going; to have any condition, good or
ill; to fare. --Shak.

Ships heretofore in seas like fishes sped; The
mightiest still upon the smallest fed. --Waller.

3. To fare well; to have success; to prosper.

Save London, and send true lawyers their meed! For
whoso wants money with them shall not speed!
--Lydgate.

I told ye then he should prevail, and speed On his
bad errand. --Milton.

4. To make haste; to move with celerity.

I have speeded hither with the very extremest inch
of possibility. --Shak.

5. To be expedient. [Obs.] --Wyclif (2 Cor. xii. 1.)


Speed, v. t.
1. To cause to be successful, or to prosper; hence, to aid;
to favor. ``Fortune speed us!'' --Shak.

With rising gales that speed their happy flight.
--Dryden.

2. To cause to make haste; to dispatch with celerity; to
drive at full speed; hence, to hasten; to hurry.

He sped him thence home to his habitation.
--Fairfax.

3. To hasten to a conclusion; to expedite.

Judicial acts . . . are sped in open court at the
instance of one or both of the parties. --Ayliffe.

4. To hurry to destruction; to put an end to; to ruin; to
undo. ``Sped with spavins.'' --Shak.

A dire dilemma! either way I 'm sped. If foes, they
write, if friends, they read, me dead. --Pope.

5. To wish success or god fortune to, in any undertaking,
especially in setting out upon a journey.

Welcome the coming, speed the parting guest. --Pope.

God speed you, them, etc., may God speed you; or, may you
have good speed.

Syn: To dispatch; hasten; expedite; accelerate; hurry.

Synonyms: accelerate, amphetamine, belt along, bucket along, cannonball along, f number, fastness, focal ratio, hasten, hie, hotfoot, hurry, hurrying, pelt along, pep pill, quicken, race, rush, rush along, speed up, speeding, stop number, swiftness, travel rapidly, upper, velocity, zip

Antonyms: dawdle, decelerate, linger, retard, slow, slow down, slow up

See Also: accelerate, acceleration, acceleration, airspeed, amphetamine sulfate, amphetamine sulphate, barge, bennie, Benzedrine, brisk, brisk up, brisken, buck, c, charge, dart, dash, deceleration, deepen, deoxyephedrine, Dexedrine, dextroamphetamine sulphate, drug of abuse, escape velocity, execution speed, flash, fleet, flit, flutter, go, graduality, gradualness, groundspeed, haste, hastiness, hurriedness, hurry, hypervelocity, intensify, light speed, locomote, meth, methamphetamine, methamphetamine hydrochloride, Methedrine, motion, move, move, movement, muzzle velocity, pace, precipitation, push forward, quicken, quickening, rate, rate, ratio, retardation, run, scoot, scud, scud, scudding, shoot, shoot down, slowing, speed, speed of light, speed up, speedup, steerageway, stimulant, stimulant drug, street drug, tear, terminal velocity, thrust ahead, travel, whizz, whizz along, zoom, zoom along

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