accelerate
English edit
Etymology edit
First attested in the 1520s. Either from Latin accelerātus, perfect passive participle of accelerō (“I accelerate, hasten”), formed from ad + celerō (“I hasten”), which is from celer (“quick”) (see celerity), or back-formation from acceleration.[1]
Pronunciation edit
- (Received Pronunciation) IPA(key): /ək.ˈsɛl.ə.ˌɹeɪt/, /æk.ˈsɛl.ə.ˌɹeɪt/, /ɪk.ˈsɛl.ə.ˌɹeɪt/
Audio (US) (file)
Verb edit
accelerate (third-person singular simple present accelerates, present participle accelerating, simple past and past participle accelerated)
- (transitive) To cause to move faster; to quicken the motion of; to add to the speed of.
- (transitive) To quicken the natural or ordinary progression or process of.
- to accelerate the growth of a plant, the increase of wealth, etc.
- 2013 September-October, Michael Sivak, “Will AC Put a Chill on the Global Energy Supply?”, in American Scientist:
- Nevertheless, it is clear that the global energy demand for air-conditioning will grow substantially as nations become more affluent, with the consequences of climate change potentially accelerating the demand.
- (transitive, physics) To cause a change of velocity.
- (transitive) To hasten, as the occurrence of an event.
- to accelerate our departure
- (transitive, education) To enable a student to finish a course of study in less than normal time.
- (intransitive) To become faster; to begin to move more quickly.
- (intransitive) Grow; increase.
Synonyms edit
- (to cause to move faster): hasten, quicken, speed up; see also Thesaurus:speed up
- (to quicken progress): expedite, further,
- (to hasten the occurrence of an event): advance, forward
Antonyms edit
Derived terms edit
- acceleratable
- accelerated ageing
- accelerated aging
- accelerated critical illness
- accelerated depreciation
- accelerated erosion
- accelerated graphics port
- accelerated motion
- accelerated motion
- accelerating force
- acceleratingly
- accelerating universe
- accelerative
- accelerator
- deaccelerate
- nonaccelerating
- outaccelerate
- overaccelerate
- post-accelerate
- reaccelerate
- unaccelerating
Related terms edit
Translations edit
to cause to move faster
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to quicken natural or ordinary progression or process
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to hasten
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to become faster
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- The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables. See instructions at Wiktionary:Entry layout § Translations.
Translations to be checked
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Adjective edit
accelerate (not comparable)
- (archaic) Accelerated; quickened; hastened; hurried.
- 1662, Thomas Salusbury, Galileo's Dialogue Concerning the Two Chief World Systems, Dialogue 2:
- ... a general knowledg of the definition of motion, and of the distinction of natural and violent, even and accelerate, and the like, sufficing.
References edit
- John A. Simpson and Edmund S. C. Weiner, editors (1989), “accelerate”, in The Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd edition, Oxford: Clarendon Press, →ISBN.
Italian edit
Etymology 1 edit
Adjective edit
accelerate f pl
Participle edit
accelerate f pl
Etymology 2 edit
Verb edit
accelerate
- inflection of accelerare:
Latin edit
Verb edit
accelerāte