Speed — Defs

01 n. Prosperity in an undertaking; favorable issue; success.

1.
Prosperity in an undertaking; favorable issue; success.
“O Lord God of my master Abraham, I pray thee, send me good speed this day.” — Gen. xxiv. 12.
2.
The act or state of moving swiftly; swiftness; velocity; rapidly; rate of motion; dispatch; as, the speed a horse or a vessel.
“Speed, to describe whose swiftness number fails.” — Milton.
3.
One who, or that which, causes or promotes speed or success.[Obs.]

Phrases & compounds

God speed — Good speed; prosperity. See Godspeed.

Speed gauge — 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 — 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.

02 v. i. To go; to fare.

imp. & p. p. Sped; p. pr. & vb. n. Speeding

1.
To go; to fare.[Obs.]
“To warn him now he is too farre sped.” — Remedy of Love.
2.
To experience in going; to have any condition, good or ill; to fare.
“Ships heretofore in seas like fishes sped; The mightiest still upon the smallest fed.” — Waller.
3.
To fare well; to have success; to prosper.
“Save London, and send true lawyers their meed! For whoso wants money with them shall not speed!” — Lydgate.

“I told ye then he should prevail, and speed On his bad errand.” — Milton.
4.
To make haste; to move with celerity.
“I have speeded hither with the very extremest inch of possibility.” — Shak.
5.
To be expedient.[Obs.]

03 v. t. To cause to be successful, or to prosper; hence, to aid; to favor.

1.
To cause to be successful, or to prosper; hence, to aid; to favor.
“With rising gales that speed their happy flight.” — Dryden.
2.
To cause to make haste; to dispatch with celerity; to drive at full speed; hence, to hasten; to hurry.
“He sped him thence home to his habitation.” — Fairfax.
3.
To hasten to a conclusion; to expedite.
“Judicial acts . . . are sped in open court at the instance of one or both of the parties.” — Ayliffe.
4.
To hurry to destruction; to put an end to; to ruin; to undo.
“A dire dilemma! either way I 'm sped. If foes, they write, if friends, they read, me dead.” — Pope.
5.
To wish success or god fortune to, in any undertaking, especially in setting out upon a journey.
“Welcome the coming, speed the parting guest.” — Pope.

Phrases & compounds

God speed you, them, — may God speed you; or, may you have good speed.

Syn. To dispatch; hasten; expedite; accelerate; hurry.