accelerate
verbadjectiveattested in dialogue
- United Kingdom//əkˈsɛl.əˌɹeɪt//
- United Kingdom//ækˈsɛl.əˌɹeɪt//
- United Kingdom//ɪkˈsɛl.əˌɹeɪt//
- United States//ɪkˈsɛl.əˌɹeɪt//
- //əkˈsɛl.əˌɹeɪt//
To cause to move faster; to quicken the motion of; to add to the speed of.
verb
- 1
To cause to move faster; to quicken the motion of; to add to the speed of.
- 2
To quicken the natural or ordinary progression or process of.
to accelerate the growth of a plant, the increase of wealth, etc.
The company plans to accelerate its growth with new marketing strategies.
She had to accelerate her work pace to meet the deadline.
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.
- 3
To cause a change of velocity.
- 4
To hasten, as the occurrence of an event.
to accelerate our departure
- 5
To enable a student to finish a course of study in less than normal time.
- 6
To become faster; to begin to move more quickly.
The car began to accelerate as soon as the light turned green.
- 7
Grow; increase.
Etymology
Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *h₂éd Proto-Italic *ad Proto-Italic *ad- Latin ad- Proto-Indo-European *kel-der. Latin celer Proto-Indo-European *-h₂ Proto-Indo-European *-éh₂ Proto-Indo-European *-yéti Proto-Indo-European *-eh₂yéti Proto-Indo-European *-h₂tiinflu. Proto-Italic *-ājō Proto-Italic *-āō Latin -ō Latin celerō Latin accelerō Latin accelerātuslbor. ▲ Latin accelerō Proto-Indo-European *-tis Proto-Indo-European *-Hō Proto-Indo-European *-tiHō Proto-Italic *-tiō Latin -tiō Latin accelerātiōder. English accelerationbf. English accelerate First attested in the 1520s. Either from Latin accelerātus, perfect passive participle of accelerō (“to accelerate, hasten”) (see -ate (verb-forming suffix) and -ate (adjective-forming suffix)), formed from ad + celerō (“to hasten”), which is from celer (“quick”) (see celerity), or back-formation from acceleration.
adjective
- 1
archaicAccelerated; quickened; hastened; hurried.
... a general knowledg of the definition of motion, and of the distinction of natural and violent, even and accelerate, and the like, sufficing.
Forms
- past tense
- accelerated
- past participle
- accelerated
- present participle
- accelerating
- third person singular
- accelerates
accelerate · To cause to move faster; to quicken the motion of; to add to the speed of.
accelerated · Moving or progressing faster than is usual.accelerating · An act of acceleration.acceleration · The act of accelerating, or the state of being accelerated;…