Contents

English

Etymology

Old English spēd, from Germanic *spodiz. Cognate with Dutch spoed.

Pronunciation

Noun

Singular speed

Plural speeds

speed (plural speeds)

  1. the state of moving quickly or the capacity for rapid motion; rapidity
  2. the rate of motion or action, specifically (mathematics)/(physics) the magnitude of the velocity; the rate distance is traversed in a given time
  3. (photography) the sensitivity to light of film, plates.
  4. (slang) any amphetamine drug used as a stimulant, especially illegally, especially methamphetamine
  5. (archaic) luck, success, prosperity

Synonyms

Usage notes

Units:

Verb

Infinitive to speed

Third person singular speeds

Simple past sped or speeded

Past participle [[sped or speeded]]

Present participle speeding

to speed (third-person singular simple present speeds, present participle speeding, simple past and past participle sped or speeded)

  1. (archaic, intransitive) To succeed; to prosper, be lucky.
    • 1485, Sir Thomas Malory, Le Morte Darthur, Book I:
      he and alle his knyghtes haue assayed it and none can spede.
    • 1621, Robert Burton, The Anatomy of Melancholy, I.2.4.vii:
      Aristotle must find out the motion of Euripus; Pliny must needs see Vesuvius; but how sped they? One loseth goods, another his life.
  2. (archaic, transitive) To help someone, to give them fortune.
    God speed, until we meet again.
  3. To go fast, especially excessively fast.
    The Ferrari was speeding along the road.
  4. To exceed the speed limit.
    Why do you speed when the road is so icy?
  5. (slang) To be under the influence of stimulant drugs, especially amphetamines.

Quotations

Usage notes

The Cambridge Guide to English Usage indicates that sped is for objects in motion (the race car sped) while speeded is used for activities or processes, but notes that the British English convention does not hold in American English.

Translations

to go fast
  • German: rasen de(de)
  • Swahili: kasi sw(sw)
  • Swedish: köra fort
to exceed speed limit
  • Swahili: kasi sw(sw)
  • Swedish: köra för fort
The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables, removing any numbers. Numbers do not necessarily match those in definitions. See instructions at Help:How to check translations.
Translations to be checked

Anagrams

 

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'Speed' News
Android coders get high-speed graphics ability - CNET
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Android coders get high- speed graphics ability

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Want better games on your Android phone? They may be coming sooner now, at least for Android 2.0 models. Google has let programmers tap ...



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