speed

n. [ AS. sp&unr_;d success, swiftness, from sp&unr_;wan to succeed; akin to D. spoedd, OHG. spuot success, spuot to succees, Skr. sphā to increase, grow fat. √170b. ] 1. Prosperity in an undertaking; favorable issue; success. “For common speed.” Chaucer. [ 1913 Webster ]

O Lord God of my master Abraham, I pray thee, send me good speed this day. Gen. xxiv. 12. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. The act or state of moving swiftly; swiftness; velocity; rapidly; rate of motion; dispatch; as, the speed a horse or a vessel. [ 1913 Webster ]

Speed, to describe whose swiftness number fails. Milton. [ 1913 Webster ]

☞ 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. [ 1913 Webster ]

3. One who, or that which, causes or promotes speed or success. [ Obs. ] “Hercules be thy speed!” Shak. [ 1913 Webster ]

God speed, Good speed; prosperity. See Godspeed. --
Speed gauge,
Speed indicator, and
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. [ 1913 Webster ]

Syn. -- Haste; swiftness; celerity; quickness; dispatch; expedition; hurry; acceleration. See Haste. [ 1913 Webster ]

v. t. 1. To cause to be successful, or to prosper; hence, to aid; to favor. “Fortune speed us!” Shak. [ 1913 Webster ]

With rising gales that speed their happy flight. Dryden. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. To cause to make haste; to dispatch with celerity; to drive at full speed; hence, to hasten; to hurry. [ 1913 Webster ]

He sped him thence home to his habitation. Fairfax. [ 1913 Webster ]

3. To hasten to a conclusion; to expedite. [ 1913 Webster ]

Judicial acts . . . are sped in open court at the instance of one or both of the parties. Ayliffe. [ 1913 Webster ]

4. To hurry to destruction; to put an end to; to ruin; to undo. “Sped with spavins.” Shak. [ 1913 Webster ]

A dire dilemma! either way I 'm sped.
If foes, they write, if friends, they read, me dead. Pope. [ 1913 Webster ]

5. To wish success or god fortune to, in any undertaking, especially in setting out upon a journey. [ 1913 Webster ]

Welcome the coming, speed the parting guest. Pope. [ 1913 Webster ]

God speed you,
them, etc., may God speed you; or, may you have good speed. [ 1913 Webster ]

Syn. -- To dispatch; hasten; expedite; accelerate; hurry. [ 1913 Webster ]

. (Mach.) A device for automatically counting the revolutions or pulsations of an engine or other machine; -- called also simply counter. [ Webster 1913 Suppl. ]

n. 1. One who, or that which, speeds. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. (Spinning) A machine for drawing and twisting slivers to form rovings. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. Full of speed (in any sense). [ Obs. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

adv. In a speedful manner. [ Obs. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

adv. In a speedy manner. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. The quality or state of being speedy. [ 1913 Webster ]