Join free

Speed

AI In plain words

Writing a short explanation…

Written by a house AI from the entry below, in your language. The entry itself is the source.

speed¹

  • /spiːd/

Sounds like Speid · Rhymes with -iːd

Where it comes from

From Middle English sped (“prosperity, good luck, quickness, success”), from Old English spēd (“success”), from Proto-West Germanic *spōdi (“prosperity, success”), from Proto-West Germanic *spōan, from Proto-Germanic *spōaną (“to prosper, succeed, be happy”), from Proto-Indo-European *speh₁- (“to prosper, turn out well”).

Cognate with Scots spede, speid (“success, quickness, speed”), Dutch spoed (“haste; speed”), German Low German Spood (“haste; speed; eagerness; success”), German Sput (“progress, acceleration, haste”). Related also to Old English spōwan (“to be successful, succeed”), Albanian shpejt (“to speed, to hurry”) and Russian спеши́ть (spešítʹ, “to hurry”), Latin spēs (“hope, expectation”), spērō (“hope”, verb), perhaps also to Ancient Greek σπεύδω (speúdō, “to urge on, hasten, press on”).

noun speeds

  1. countable, uncountable The state of moving quickly or the capacity for rapid motion. How does Usain Bolt run at that speed?
  2. countable, uncountable The rate of motion or action, specifically the magnitude of the velocity; the rate distance is traversed in a given time. Speed limits provide information to the drivers about the safe speed to travel in average conditions.
  3. countable, uncountable The sensitivity to light of film, plates or sensor.
  4. countable, uncountable The duration of exposure, the time during which a camera shutter is open (shutter speed).
  5. countable, uncountable The largest size of the lens opening at which a lens can be used.
  6. countable, uncountable The ratio of the focal length to the diameter of a photographic objective.
  7. slang, uncountable Amphetamine or any amphetamine-based drug (especially methamphetamine) used as a stimulant, especially illegally. I don’t even like speed. It’s alright if ya wanna stay awake for three days an’ clean yer room, but I’m terrible on no sleep. It just makes me anxious.
  8. archaic, countable, uncountable Luck, success, prosperity. St. Francis be my ſpeed, how oft to night / Haue my old feet ſtumbled at graues?
  9. countable, slang, uncountable Personal preference. We could go to the shore next week, or somewhere else if that's not your speed.
  10. uncountable A third-order measure of derivative price sensitivity, expressed as the rate of change of gamma with respect to changes in the underlying asset price.

Similar: speed, velocity

interjection

  1. Called by the soundman when the recording equipment has reached running speed and is ready to go. “Speed,” Carlos, the soundman, said. […] “Camera.” “Rolling,” replied Bryce, the cameraman.

speed²

  • /spiːd/

Sounds like Speid · Rhymes with -iːd

Where it comes from

From Middle English speden, from Old English spēdan (“to speed, prosper, succeed, have success”), from Proto-West Germanic *spōdijan (“to succeed”).

Cognate with Scots spede, speid (“to meet with success, assist, promote, accomplish, speed”), Dutch spoeden (“to hurry, rush”), Low German spoden, spöden (“to hasten, speed”), German sputen, spuden (“to speed”).

verb speeds · speeding · sped · speeded

  1. archaic, intransitive To succeed; to prosper, be lucky. And yf I maye fynde suche a knyghte that hath all these vertues / he may drawe oute this swerd oute of the shethe / for I haue ben at kyng Ryons / it was told me ther were passyng good knyghtes / and he and alle his knyghtes haue assayed it and none can spede
  2. archaic, transitive To help someone, to give them fortune; to aid or favour. God speed, until we meet again.
  3. intransitive To go fast. The Ferrari was speeding along the road.
  4. intransitive To exceed the speed limit. Why do you speed when the road is so icy?
  5. transitive To increase the rate at which something occurs. It is possible that the uterine contractions speed the sperm along.
  6. intransitive, slang To be under the influence of stimulant drugs, especially amphetamines. Jackie is just speeding away / Thought she was James Dean for a day
  7. obsolete To be expedient.
  8. archaic To hurry to destruction; to put an end to; to ruin. infected with the fashions, full of wingdalls, sped with spavins, rayed with yellows
  9. archaic To wish success or good fortune to, in any undertaking, especially in setting out upon a journey. Welcome the coming, speed the parting guest.
  10. 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.
  11. To hasten to a conclusion; to expedite. Judicial acts[…]are sped in open court at the instance of one or both of the parties.

Speed³

Where it comes from

* As an English surname, from Middle English sped (“good fortune”, literally “assistance, aid”). Also from the noun speed.

* As an Irish surname, translated from Ó Fuada, from fuad (“haste, hurriedness”). See Foody.

* As a German and Jewish surname, Americanized and translated from Schnell.

* Most place names seem to taken from the surname.

proper noun Speeds

  1. countable, uncountable A surname transferred from the nickname.
  2. countable, uncountable An unincorporated community in Silver Creek Township, Clark County, Indiana.
  3. countable, uncountable A minor city in Phillips County, Kansas.
  4. countable, uncountable An unincorporated community in Palestine Township, Cooper County, Missouri.
  5. countable, uncountable A town in Edgecombe County, North Carolina.
  6. countable, uncountable An unincorporated community in Roane County, West Virginia.
  7. countable, uncountable A town in the Shire of Yarriambiack, Victoria, Australia.

Talk about this word