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Origin and history of speed

speed(n.)

Middle English spede, from Old English sped "success, a successful course; prosperity, riches, wealth; luck, good fortune; opportunity, advancement," from Proto-Germanic *spodiz (source also of Old Saxon spod "success," Dutch spoed "haste, speed," Old High German spuot "success," Old Saxon spodian "to cause to succeed," Middle Dutch spoeden, Old High German spuoten "to haste").

This is reconstructed to be from PIE *spo-ti-, from root *spes- or *speh- "prosperity" (source also of Hittite išpai- "get full, be satiated;" Sanskrit sphira "fat," sphayate "increases;" Latin spes "hope," sperare "to hope;" Old Church Slavonic spechu "endeavor," spĕti "to succeed," Russian spet' "to ripen;" Lithuanian spėju, spėti "to have leisure;" Old English spōwan "to prosper").

The meaning "rapidity of movement, quickness, swiftness" emerged in late Old English (at first usually adverbially, in dative plural, as in spedum feran). The meaning "rate of motion or progress" (whether fast or slow) is from mid-14c. The sense of "gear of a machine" is attested from 1866. Slang use in reference to methamphetamine or a related drug is attested by 1967, from its effect on users.

Speed limit "maximum speed" of a vehicle (originally a locomotive), limited either by law or capability, is from 1879; the police officer's speed-trap is from 1908 (trap (n.1) in the police sense is by 1906). Speed bump as a traffic control device is by 1975; the figurative use is by 1990s. Full speed "highest rate of speed" is recorded from late 14c. Speed reading first attested 1965. Speedball "mix of cocaine and morphine or heroin" is recorded from 1909.

speed(v.)

Middle English speden, "achieve one's goal, accomplish one's purpose, get on successfully," from Old English spedan (intransitive) "to succeed, prosper, grow rich, advance," from the source of speed (n.). Compare Old Saxon spodian, Middle Dutch spoeden "hasten," Old High German spuoton "to succeed, prosper," German sputen "make haste, hurry."

The intransitive meaning "go hastily from place to place, get on rapidly" is attested from c. 1200. The transitive meaning "cause to advance toward success" is from mid-13c.; that of "send forth with quickness, give a high speed to" is from 1560s. The meaning "increase the work rate of" (usually with up) is from 1856. The meaning "drive an automobile too fast" is from 1908. Related: Speeded; sped; speeding.

The older sense is that in archaic salutations such as God speed you, wishing one prosperity, "may God give you advancement or success" (see godspeed).

Entries linking to speed

godspeed(interj.)

also God speed, by late 14c., "(I wish that) God (may) grant you success," from God + speed (v.) in its old sense of "prosper, grow rich, succeed." Specifically as a salutation by mid-15c. Also in Middle English as an adverb, "quickly, speedily" (early 14c.); the then-identically spelled God and good seem to be mixed up in this word. From late 13c. as a surname. He may bidde god me spede is found in a text from c. 1300.

speeding(n.)

c. 1300, "success;" c. 1400 "action of aiding;" verbal noun from speed (v.). The meaning "action of driving an automobile too fast" is from 1908. Speeding ticket is from 1940. Speeding up (n.) "action of increasing the rate of" is by 1892, in reference to worker production.

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despair
"to lose hope, be without hope," mid-14c., despeiren, from Old French despeir-, stressed stem of desperer "be dismayed, lose hope, despair," from Latin desperare "to despair, to lose all hope," from de "without" (see de-) + sperare "to hope," from spes "hope" (from PIE root *spes
desperate
c. 1400, desperat, of persons, "despairing, hopeless" (a sense now obsolete), from Latin desperatus "given up, despaired of," past participle of desperare "to despair, to lose all hope," from de "without" (see de-) + sperare "to hope," from spes "hope" (from PIE root *spes- "pros
desperation
late 14c., desperacioun, "hopelessness, lack or loss of hope" (especially in God's mercy), a sense now obsolete; c. 1400, "a desperate state of mind," from Old French désperacion or directly from Latin desperationem (nominative desperatio) "despair, hopelessness," noun of action
race
Meaning "run against in a competition of speed" is from 1809. Transitive sense of "cause to run" is from 1860....In reference to an engine, etc., "run with uncontrolled speed," from 1862; transitive sense is by 1932....
knot
The nautical unit of measure of speed (1630s) is from the practice of attaching knotted string to the log line at equal distances...The ship's speed can be measured by the number of knots that play out while the sand glass is running....A speed of 10 knots will cover ten nautical miles in an hour (equivalent to a land speed of about 11.5 mph)....
cable
Speed, speed the Cable; let it run,    A loving girdle round the earth, Till all the nations 'neath the...
random
having no definite aim or purpose, haphazard, not sent in a special direction," from phrase at random (1560s), "at great speed..." (thus, "carelessly, haphazardly"), from an alteration of the Middle English noun randon, randoun "impetuosity; speed" (...
motion
late 14c., mocioun, "process of moving; change of place, continuous variation of position;" also "suggestion, proposal or proposition formally made," from Old French mocion "movement, motion; change, alteration" (13c., Modern French motion) and directly from Latin motionem (nomin
change
c. 1200, "to alter, make different, change" (transitive); early 13c. as "to substitute one for another;" mid-13c. as "to make (something) other than what it was, cause to turn or pass from one state to another;" from late 13c. as "to become different, be altered" (intransitive),
travel
late 14c., "to journey," from travailen (1300) "to make a journey," originally "to toil, labor" (see travail). The semantic development may have been via the notion of "go on a difficult journey," but it also may reflect the difficulty of any journey in the Middle Ages. Replaced

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