from
The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48
Speed \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.
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O Lord God of my master Abraham, I pray thee, send
me good speed this day. --Gen. xxiv.
12.
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2. The act or state of moving swiftly; swiftness; velocity;
rapidly; rate of motion; dispatch; as, the speed a horse
or a vessel.
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Speed, to describe whose swiftness number fails.
--Milton.
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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.
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3. One who, or that which, causes or promotes speed or
success. [Obs.] "Hercules be thy speed!" --Shak.
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{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.
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Syn: Haste; swiftness; celerity; quickness; dispatch;
expedition; hurry; acceleration. See {Haste}.
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