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Origin and history of rapidity

rapidity(n.)

"celerity of motion or action," 1650s, from French rapidité and directly from Latin rapiditatem (nominative rapiditas) "swiftness, rapidity, velocity," from rapidus "hasty, swift, rapid" (see rapid).

also from 1650s

Entries linking to rapidity

rapid(adj.)

1630s, "moving or doing quickly, capable of great speed," from French rapide (17c.) and directly from Latin rapidus "hasty, swift; snatching; fierce, impetuous," from rapere "hurry away, carry off, seize, plunder," from PIE root *rep- "to snatch" (source also of Greek ereptomai "devour," harpazein "snatch away," Lithuanian raplės "tongs").

Meaning "happening in a short time, coming quickly into existence" is from 1780. Related: Rapidly; rapidness. Rapid-fire (adj.) 1890 in reference to guns, figurative or transferred use by 1900; the noun phrase is by 1836. Rapid-transit first attested 1852, in reference to street railways; rapid eye movement, associated with a certain phase of sleep, is from 1906.

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    Pilate
    Shepherd of Trinity College; who disputing with a brother parson on the comparative rapidity with which they read the liturgy...
    pitch
    The musical sense of "characteristic of a sound or tone that depends upon relative rapidity of vibration" is from 1590s,...
    gin
    about 1724 that the passion for gin-drinking appears to have infected the masses of the population, and it spread with the rapidity...
    speed
    The meaning "rapidity of movement, quickness, swiftness" emerged in late Old English (at first usually adverbially, in dative...
    cut
    Colloquial or slang sense of "move off with directness and rapidity" is from 1580s....
    cape
    "sleeveless cloak, circular covering for the shoulders," a Spanish style, late 16c., from French cape, from Spanish capa, from Late Latin cappa "hooded cloak" (see cap (n.), which is a doublet). Late Old English had capa, cæppe "cloak with a hood," directly from Latin...."promont
    pace
    late 13c., "a step in walking," also "rate of motion; the space traveled by the foot in one completed movement in walking," from Old French pas "a step, pace, trace," and directly from Latin passus, passum "a step, pace, stride," noun use of past participle of pandere "to stretch
    expedition
    early 15c., expedicioun, "military campaign; the act of rapidly setting forth," from Old French expedicion "an expediting, implementation; expedition, mission" (13c.) and directly from Latin expeditionem (nominative expeditio) "an enterprise against an enemy, a military campaign,
    rate
    early 15c., "estimated value or worth, proportional estimation according to some standard; monetary amount; a proportional part," from Old French rate "price, value" and directly from Medieval Latin rata (pars) "fixed (amount)," from Latin rata "fixed, settled," fem. past partici
    tear
    "fluid drop from the eye," Old English tear "tear, drop, nectar, what is distilled in drops," from earlier teahor, tæhher, from Proto-Germanic *tahr-, *tagr- (source also of Old Norse, Old Frisian tar, Old High German zahar, German Zähre, Gothic tagr "tear"), from PIE *dakru- (so

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