rapid
adjectiveadverbnouncommon in dialogue
- Canada//ˈɹæp.ɪd//
Very swift or quick.
adjective
- 1
Very swift or quick.
a rapid stream
rapid growth
rapid improvement
Ascend my Chariot; guide the rapid Wheeles.
- 2
Steep, changing altitude quickly. (of a slope)
- 3
Needing only a brief exposure time. (of a lens, plate, film, etc.)
- 4
Violent, severe.
- 5
obsoleteHappy.
Etymology
Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *h₁reh₁p-der. Proto-Italic *rapjō Latin rapiō Proto-Indo-European *dʰeh₁-der. Proto-Italic *-iðos Latin -idus Latin rapidusder. Middle French rapidebor. ▲ Latin rapidusbor. English rapid Borrowed from Middle French rapide and its etymon Latin rapidus.
adverb
- 1
archaicRapidly.
noun
- 1
A rough section of a river or stream which is difficult to navigate due to the swift and turbulent motion of the water.
- 2
datedA burst of rapid fire.
- 3
Variant of rapid chessEllipsis of rapid chess.
In these rapid games we had just twenty-five minutes each to make all our moves, a far cry from traditional chess, where games can last up to seven hours.
In order to avoid misunderstanding, I must note that I object to the attempts to displace normal chess with fast play, not rapid or blitz in general. I love them both, and, if I were to choose which to play, classic or rapid, I would choose rapid.
I haven’t played against Wesley So—I’ve played him a bunch online in rapid games, but not in classical rounds.
Forms
- plural
- rapids
- comparative
- more rapid, rapider
- superlative
- most rapid, rapidest