Speed sb. World English Historical Dictionary

Speed sb. World English Historical Dictionary Dictionary Biographies Literary Criticism Welcome Terms of Service ⧏ Previous Next ⧐ Contents Slice Contents Key Bibliographic Record Murray’s New English Dictionary. 1919, rev. 2025. Speed sb. Forms: 1 spoed (spod), 1–6 sped, 3–6 spede, 5–7 speede, 6– speed; 4 spied, 4–8 speid; 5 spyd(e, 6–7 spide. [OE. spéd, earlier spœd, = MDu. spoed, spoet (Du. spoed), OS. spôd, spôt (MLG. spôd-, spôt, spoet, spoit), OHG. spôt, spuot (MHG. sput), f. OE. spówan, OHG. spuon to prosper, succeed.]

1   I.  † 1. Abundance. Obs.

2   Also freq. in OE. ‘substance, means, wealth.’

3 a. 900.  Cynewulf, Crist, 604. He us æt ʓiefeð, & æhta sped, welan ofer widlond.

4 a. 1000.  Genesis, 1084. Tubal Cain, se þurh snytro sped smið cræfteʓa wæs.

5 c. 1200.  Ormin, 12079. Off þatt hemm weorelldahhtess spedd Aȝȝ waxeþþ mare & mare. Ibid., 12252. Off laferrddom, off ahhtess sped.

6 c. 1250.  Gen. & Ex., 122. Of euerilc ouȝt, of euerilc sed, Was erðe mad moder of sped.

7   † 2.  Power, might. Obs.

8 971.  Blickl. Hom., 179. Þonne syndon on þyssum Simone twa speda, mannes & deofles.

9 c. 1000.  Ags. Ps. (Thorpe), lxxxviii. 7. Þu eart mæʓena God,… nis þe ealra ʓelic ahwær on spedum.

10 c. 1250.  Gen. & Ex., 25. God … unspered al ðe fendes sped, And halp ðor he saȝ mikel ned. Ibid., 2995. Her hem wantede miȝt and sped.

11   3.  Success, prosperity, good fortune; profit, advancement, furtherance. Obs. exc. Sc. or arch.

12 c. 725.  Corpus Gloss. (Hessels), P 707. Præuentus, spoed. Ibid., S 646. Successus, spoed.

13 a. 900.  Cynewulf, Elene, 1182. He ah æt wiʓʓe sped, siʓor æt sæcce.

14 c. 1000.  Ags. Ps. (Thorpe), lv. 4. Ic … on God … ʓelyfe, þæt minre spræce sped folʓie.

15 c. 1250.  Gen. & Ex., 2221. [They] hauen it so to iacob broȝt, And tolden him so of here sped. Ibid., 3929. Al … is fultum and his sped.

16 a. 1300.  Cursor M., 22886 (Edinb.). Þe mar man swink him þar aboutin Fra sped þe ferre he sal ben outin.

17 1390.  Gower, Conf., II. 11. For Slowthe is mihti to confounde The spied of every mannes werk.

18 c. 1407.  Lydg., Reson & Sens., 4906. Now shal ye here … Al the processe of my spede. Ibid. (1412–20), Chron. Troy, IV. 4662. Myn entent is nat to repreue Ȝoure wyse conseil … Ȝif it conclude to be comoun spede Of my peple and sauacioun.

19 1503–4.  Act 19 Hen. VII., c. 19. Preamb., For their owne spede and lucre they suffer their ledder to pass untruly coryed.

20 c. 1510.  More, Picus, Wks. 32. What seruice maie so desirable bee, As where all turneth to thyne owne spede.

21 1617.  Chapman, Widdowes T., Wks. 1873, III. 8. I am assured of my speede.

22 1786.  Burns, Ep. Young Friend, xi. In ploughman phrase ‘God send you speed.’

23 1791.  Learmont, Poems, 51. We wiss him speed Till he unravel ilka quirk.

24 1899.  Greig, Logie o’ Buchan, xii. 203. Guid-bye than, Jamie; and I wish ye a’ speed and forder.

25   b.  With adjs., as good, evil, etc.: Success, fortune, lot.

26 c. 1250.  Gen. & Ex., 309. Ȝet ic wene I can a red, ðat hem sal bringen iwel sped.

27 14[?].  Sir Beues (1894), 182/2. God send them evyll spede.

28 1451.  Rolls of Parlt., V. 219/2. The good spede of this Act of Resumption.

29 1535.  Goodly Prymer, S j b. That temyng women may haue ioyfull spede in their labour.

30 1577–87.  Holinshed, Chron., III. 1097/1. In the assistance … all their hope of prosperous speed consisted.

31 1634.  Canne, Necess. Separ. (1849), 221. It is … worth the noting, what ill speed Mr. Dayrell hath still in all his testimonies.

32 1651.  Weldon, Crt. Chas., 194. Another Parliament was summoned, wherein … there proved no better a good speed and successe than a mere frustration of all hopes on both hands.

33 1724.  De Foe, Mem. Cavalier (1840), 113. The king wished us good speed.

34 1809.  Malkin, Gil Blas, V. i. ¶ 21. You give way to difficulties with more haste than good speed.

35   Comb.  a. 1616.  Beaum. & Fl., Little Fr. Lawyer, V. iii. They are men of a charitable vocation,… And put a good speed penny in my purse.

36   c.  To come (good) speed, to be successful. So to come bad, or no, speed, to be more or less unsuccessful. Sc.

37 a. 1557.  Diurn. Occurr. (Bann. Cl.), 19. He come no speid, but depairtit with repulse.

38 c. 1620.  Z. Boyd, Zion’s Flowers (1855), 57. I at the market have this day come speede.

39 1638.  A. Cant, Serm. at Edinburgh (1699), 21. If I had hope to come speed with you.

40 1756.  Mrs. Calderwood, in Coltness Collect. (Maitland Club), 232. There was one came about gathering charity…, but she came very ill speed.

41 1824.  Miss Ferrier, Inher., xxxii. No wonder he came such bad speed at the courting. Ibid. Somebody has come good speed.

42 1881.  W. Gregor, Folk-Lore, xxii. 161. Sittin beggars cumna speed.

43   † 4.  a. Assistance, aid, help. Obs.

44 c. 1340.  Hampole, Pr. Consc., 2882. And þat may be thurgh helpe and spede Of prayer of frendes and almusdede.

45 13[?].  E. E. Allit. P., B. 1607. Þurȝ þe sped of þe spyryt þat sprad hym with-inne.

46 1399.  Rolls of Parlt., III. 451. [To] procede as hym thoght for the best…, for the spede of this nede and of all the Parlement. Ibid. (1423), IV. 256. In spede as wele of the Kynges nede, as of his peple.

47 a. 1500[?].  Chester Pl., X. 79. Haue here of me, to do thee speede, right a gay garment.

48   † b.  One who, or that which, promotes success or prosperity. Obs.

49 c. 1375.  Cursor M., 21348 (Fairf.). Of þe rode now for to rede, ihesus criste he be mi spede.

50 1377.  Pol. Poems (Rolls), I. 215. He that was ur most spede Is selden seye and sone forȝete.

51 c. 1450.  Godstow Reg., 4. [Cross] of ihesu criste be euer oure spede.

52 1577.  Grange, Golden Aphrod., etc. S iv. Adewe therefore, God be thy speede.

53 1591.  Troub. Raigne K. John (1611), E iv b. S. Francis be your speed.

54 1596.  Shaks., 1 Hen. IV., III. i. 190. Good-manners be your speede.

55 1681.  W. Robertson, Phraseol. Gen. (1693), 1158. Christ be our speed.

56   II.  5. Quickness in moving or making progress from one place to another, usually as the result of special exertion; celerity, swiftness; also, power or rate of progress.

57   In OE. only in the dat. plur. used adverbially. In ME. freq. in advb. phrases, as a good speed, or with preps. (cf. 7 and 8).

58 a. 1000.  Genesis, 2397. ʓewiton him þa ædre ellorfuse æfter þære spræce spedum feran.

59 c. 1250.  Gen. & Ex., 1598. Fro bersabe he ferde wið sped.

60 a. 1300.  Cursor M., 16597. Him þai can to nede, At tak þe tan end o þe tre, to ga þe better spede.

61 c. 1350.  Will. Palerne, 1765. William & þe mayde … gon forþ þurȝth þe gardin a wel god spede.

62 a. 1400.  Sir Perc., 720. For to rynne scho myȝte not thole Ne folowe hym no spede.

63 c. 1450.  St. Cuthbert (Surtees), 1727. For mare spede be ship he went.

64 c. 1450.  Holland, Howlat, 292. He wald nocht spair for to spring on a gud speid.

65 15[?].  Christ’s Kirk, 143, in Bann. MS. 287. He suld bene swift that gat him, throw speid.

66 1596.  Shaks., Merch. V., III. iv. 56. Madam, I goe with all conuenient speed.

67 1667.  Milton, P. L., II. 700. Back to thy punishment,… and to thy speed add wings.

68 1697.  Dryden, Virg. Georg., III. 305. Thus, form’d for speed, he challenges the Wind.

69 1758.  Johnson, Idler, No. 6, ¶ 10. The true causes of her speed were fear and love.

70 1797.  S. & Ht. Lee, Canterb. T. (1799), I. 355. He exerted all the speed fatigue would allow.

71 1823.  Scott, Quentin D., xvii. The Scottish mountaineer was at liberty to put forth a speed which was unrivalled in his own glens.

72 1847.  Marryat, Childr. N. Forest, xxii. That’s a fine horse you were riding, sir. Has he much speed?

73 1891.  Farrar, Darkn. & Dawn, xii. Pudens had seen him … run up the steps with a speed which a Roman regarded as very undignified.

74   b.  Of things: Swiftness, rapidity, velocity, of direct or circular movement; rate of motion or revolution.

75 c. 1200.  Ormin, 18094. All swa se waterrstræm Aȝȝ fleteþþ forþ & erneþþ Towarrd te sæ wiþþ mikell sped.

76 1560.  Daus, trans. Sleidane’s Comm., 83. It began at the Ocean sea, & … spred over all Germany, & with unspeakeable spede.

77 1590.  Shaks., Com. Err., I. i. 110. Her part … Was carried with more speed before the winde.

78 1619.  in Eng. & Germ. (Camden), 156. I know not whether I should have beene diverted a second time from taking the speede of the river if [etc.].

79 1742.  Gray, Eton, 29. What idle progeny succeed To chase the rolling circle’s speed?

80 1823.  Scott, Quentin D., xxvii. What has taken some time to narrate, happened, in fact, with the speed of light.

81 1857.  Dufferin, Lett. High Lat. (ed. 3), 410. Then, notwithstanding the slowness of the speed, it requires as much luck as skill to avoid collisions.

82 1883.  M. P. Bale, Saw-Mills, 209. If a sawing or planing machine is driven at a very great rate of speed.

83   c.  With numerals or adjs. forming attrib. combs.

84 1871.  Routledge’s Ev. Boy’s Ann., April, Suppl. 3/2. Three-speed Pulley.

85 1885.  Field, 31 Jan., 121/3. A ‘ten-speed gear’ tricycle.

86 1904.  Westm. Gaz., 5 July, 12/1. Very high-speed passenger trains.

87   6.  Quickness, promptness, or dispatch in the performance of some action or operation. Freq. in the phrase with (all) speed.

88   For the proverbial contrast with haste, see HASTE sb. 6.

89 a. 1000.  Genesis, 2667. Spedum sæʓde eorlum Abimeleh … waldendes word.

90 c. 1250.  Gen. & Ex., 1033. Ðo seiden ðis angeles to loth wið sped.

91 c. 1425.  Abraham’s Sacrifice, 376, in Non-Cycle Myst. Plays (1909), 51. Thys fyere schall brene a full good spyd.

92 1526.  Pilgr. Perf. (W. de W., 1531), 90 b. Let vs ryse agayne with all spede.

93 1577.  B. Googe, Heresbach’s Husb., § 29. Barley … must be geathered with more speede then other graynes.

94 c. 1614.  Sir W. Mure, Dido & Æneas, I. 77. Let vs a navie then prepair with speid.

95 1663.  S. Patrick, Parab. Pilgr., xii. (1687), 81. All that surprizes me is … that such feeble words as mine should … with such speed excite so high a degree of Love.

96 1701.  Penn, in Pennsylv. Hist. Soc. Mem., IX. 51. Get them transcribed by good hands with all speed.

97 1761.  Gray, Odin, 1. Uprose the King of Men with speed.

98 1847.  Helps, Friends in C., I. viii. 128. Insist upon speed in learning…. This speed gives the habit of concentrating attention.

99 1891.  Farrar, Darkn. & Dawn, lv. The execution of the Christians was to be hurried on with all speed.

100   b.  Photogr. The relative rapidity with which a plate, film, etc., is acted upon by light or by a developer.

101 1892.  Abney, Instr. Photogr. (ed. 9), 103. Measuring the speed and gradation of plates.

102   7.  In various prepositional phrases:

103   † a.  In speed, with speed, speedily. Obs.

104 c. 1250.  Gen. & Ex., 1221. Abraham rapede him sone in sped for to fulfillen godes reed.

105 c. 1375.  Sc. Leg. Saints, xxix. (Placidas), 800. One þe morn scho went in sped to þe gret maister of þe knychtede. Ibid., xxxiii. (George), 233. Ta þi horse in spede, & pas in haste fra þis stede.

106 a. 1586.  Sidney, Ps. XXXI. i. Deliver me, deliver me in speed.

107 1596.  Shaks., Merch. V., III. iv. 49. Take this same letter … In speed to Mantua.

108   b.  At speed (also † at his speed, † on or upon the speed), at a rapid rate of movement.

109 1632.  Lithgow, Trav., VI. 259. [He] stroke at me with his halfe-pike; but his horse being at his speed, I preuented his cruelty.

110 1646.  Evance, Noble Order, 26. They are most upon the speed after [this game].

111 1670.  Milton, Hist. Eng., Wks. 1738, II. 76. Riding on the speed down a steep Hill.

112 1781.  Cowper, Table-t., 685. Always at speed, and never drawing bit.

113 1807.  Sir R. Wilson, Priv. Diary (1862), II. viii. 293. We were galloping at speed when an unfortunate marais received my horse.

114 1865.  Visct. Milton & W. B. Cheadle, Northwest Passage by Land, iv. (1867), 62. We gained on them rapidly, until within about 200 yards, when they went off at speed.

115   c.  At (or † on) full speed, = 8 b.

116 1749.  Fielding, Tom Jones, XI. ii. The young lady looking behind her, saw several horses coming after on full speed.

117 1784.  Cowper, Task, VI. 331. The horse … That skims the spacious meadow at full speed.

118 1849.  Macaulay, Hist. Eng., v. I. 610. The waggoners drove of at full speed.

119 1877.  Mar. M. Grant, Sun-Maid, ii. The Marquis drove at full speed.

120   8.  In advb. phrases (without article):

121   † a.  Good speed, speedily, quickly. Obs.

122 a. 1300.  Cursor M., 4786. I sagh caf on þe watur flete;… dunward flette it wel god spede.

123 1375.  Barbour, Bruce, IV. 507. Ȝon is the kyng, but dreid; Ga we furth till hym bettir speid.

124 c. 1430.  Avow. Arth., xl. Toward Carlele ryȝte He hies, gode spede.

125 1500–20.  Dunbar, Poems, xxxiii. 24. He fled away gud speid.

126   b.  Full speed, with the utmost speed possible. (Cf. 7 c.) Also attrib.

127 1382.  Wyclif, Deut. iii. 18. Fulspeed goo ȝe before ȝoure britheren.

128 1654–66.  Earl Orrery, Parthen. (1676), 343. He thrust himself into the Wood full speed.

129 1700.  S. L., trans. Fryke’s Voy. E. Ind. 212. I ran full speed towards her to help her.

130 1737.  [S. Berington], G. di Lucca’s Mem. (1738), 69. Ten or a dozen armed Turks came upon us full Speed from the Town.

131 1835.  W. Irving, Tour Prairies, xxi. 187. Away several of them dashed, full speed.

132 1860.  Merc. Marine Mag., VII. 139. The engines are going ‘full speed ahead.’

133 1890.  Times, 18 Sept., 4/2. The Blanche … went out … for her four hours’ full-speed trial of her engines.

134   9.  a. To make speed, to hurry, to make haste.

135 1548.  Udall, etc. Erasm. Par. Matt. iii. 30. Jesus left Galile … & maketh spede vnto Jordane.

136 1548–9.  (Mar.) Bk. Comm. Prayer, Morn. Prayer, O God, make spede to saue me.

137 1635.  R. N., trans. Camden’s Hist. Eliz., I. 60. Though she made but slow speed about it.

138 1663.  Extr. State P. rel. Friends (1911), II. 180. Make all possible speed and gett Matts and deales for a Bulke head there if to be had.

139 1868.  Freeman, Norm. Conq. (1877), II. vii. 117. They made good speed with their journey.

140   † b.  To have, or get, the speed of, to outdistance, get ahead of (one). Obs.

141 1605.  Shaks., Macb., I. v. 36. Our Thane is comming: One of my fellowes had the speed of him.

142 1646.  Fuller, Good Th. in Worse T. (1841), 106. The other had got the speed of him, having first accused himself,… and already obtained his pardon.

143   10.  a. An inflammatory disease of cattle.

144 1704.  Dict. Rust., s.v., Speed. This Distemper in Cattle [1725 Fam. Dict., in Black Cattle] may well be so called, because it either mends or ends in three Days time.

145 a. 1800.  Pegge, Suppl. Grose, Speed, a disease among young cattle in the Autumn. North.

146 1834.  Youatt, Cattle, 362. In the West Riding, where from the rapidity with which it runs its course it is called the speed, it also generally begins behind.

147 1881.  J. P. Sheldon, Dairy Farming, 63/1. Calves are extremely liable to the fatal disease of ‘hyant,’ ‘speed.’

148   b.  A section of a cone-pulley giving a particular rate of speed.

149 1881.  Young, Every Man his own Mechanic, § 550. 257. The steps or speeds of the cone pulleys are generally flat and driven by a flat leathern belt.

150   c.  (See quot.)

151 1889.  W. Marcroft, Ups & Downs, 18. The class of machinery first made at the Hartford New Works, Werneth, was called speeds, generally known as roving frames.

152   11.  attrib. and Comb. a. In the names of devices or apparatus for regulating or indicating speed, as speed-check, -clock, -cone, -gauge, etc.

153   Descriptions of some of these are given by Knight, Dict. Mech. (1875–84). The number of such combs. has greatly increased in recent years, as speed-band, -board, -brake, -gear, etc.

154 1898.  Westm. Gaz., 18 Nov., 9/1. The Sawyer footbrake—which appears to be a very reliable form of *speed-check.

155 1862.  Catal. Internat. Exhib., Brit., II. No. 3220, Watchman’s detector clocks, steam or *speed clock.

156 1869.  Rankine, Machinery & Millwork, 312. The most convenient way of changing the velocity-ratio of rotation of a pair of shafts … is by means of *‘speed-cones.’

157 1843.  Civil Eng. & Arch. Jrnl., VI. 248/2. The name Sillomêtre … might be well rendered in English *Speed-gauge.

158 1875.  Knight, Dict. Mech., 2261/2. Osborne’s speed-gage is for the purpose of determining the rate of speed at which shafting or wheels are rotating.

159 1858.  Simmonds, Dict. Trade, *Speed-indicator, a gauge for testing the velocity of steam engines or machines.

160 1863.  A. Young, Naut. Dict., 244. Tyssen’s Ship’s Log, or Speed Indicator.

161 1892.  Photogr. Ann., II. 341. A roller blind shutter, with outside speed indicator.

162 1898.  R. Kipling, Fleet in Being, ii. 25. The Sub watches the *speed-lights of the next ahead, for as those lanterns change so must he adjust his pace.

163 1875.  Knight, Dict. Mech., 1262. The fly-wheel (of a foot-lathe), on which is the cord passing to the *speed-pulley of the head-stock. Ibid., 2262. Such a machine … does not fulfill the conditions of a *speed-recorder.

164 1880.  Engineer, XLIX. 404. *Speed regulator for light machinery.

165 1888.  Jacobi, Printers’ Vocab., 129. *Speed riggers.—Riggers graduated to allow of the driving band being shifted to increase or reduce the running power.

166   b.  Denoting the attainment of, or capacity for, high-speed, as speed-gallop, -skating (hence -skater, -skate).

167   Also, in recent use, speed-boat, -car, lathe.

168 1852.  R. F. Burton, Falconry Valley Indus, viii. 81. The four miles of best speed gallop.

169 1885.  Daily News, 24 Jan., 6/7. The performances of the exponents of speed skating.

170 1894.  Westm. Gaz., 6 Jan., 5/2. The tendency is altogether in favour of the ‘speed’ skate as against the slow, antiquated article. Ibid. (1897), 27 Jan., 7/2. Speed-skaters … are thoroughly enjoying themselves.

171   c.  Miscellaneous, as speed-capacity, -limit, -praise, -rate, -stroke, -trial, etc.; speed-man, a cyclist who rides at a high rate of speed; speedway U.S., a special track for rapid cycling or motoring; † speed while, a short time.

172 1900.  Daily Express, 16 July, 1/1. A motor car with a claimed *speed capacity of 85 miles an hour.

173 1893.  Outing, XXII. 104/2. Both assured her owner that she had not touched her *speed limit.

174 1896.  Cycling Times, 10 June, 2/4. Smith, who is a *‘speed man,’ may be able to push the same machine … to the tune of twenty [miles] an hour.

175 1605.  Sylvester, Du Bartas, II. iii. I. Vocation, 861. Thou that thrice … Losest thy *speed-praise, and thy life beside.

176 1894.  C. H. Cook, Thames Rights, 25. The reasons against fixing a *speed-rate are these.

177 a. 1618.  Sylvester, Mem. Mortalities, ii. Wks. (Grosart), II. 223. Having Death’s *speed-stroak undiscerned given.

178 1885.  Pall Mall Gaz., 14 Jan., 11/1. The *speed trials of the Umbria … and the Collingwood.

179 1894.  Voice (N.Y.), 28 June. New York has millions of dollars to spend upon its uptown parks and *speedways.

180 13[?].  E. E. Allit. P., B. 1285. Alle he spoyled spitously in a *sped whyle.

181   d.  With vbl. sbs. and ppl. adj., as speed-making, -mingling, -multiplying, -producing.

182 1548.  Elyot, Properantia, haast, speede makyng.

183 1611.  Cotgr., Acceleration, hast, or speedmaking.

184 1875.  Knight, Dict. Mech., 2262/1. This gearing-up … or … speed-multiplying is found in many kinds of machinery. Ibid., 2262/2. A system of speed-multiplying gear.

185 1885–94.  R. Bridges, Eros & Psyche, Nov. vi. Betwixt the twin speed-mingling fans of gold.

186 1893.  Outing, XXII. 106. Another, great speed-producing son of the same sire.

187 1901.  Munsey’s Mag., XXV. 737/1. When the colt settled into his stride again, the effort at speed making was continued as before.

188 © 2025 WEHD.com