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accelerate

 - 5 dictionary results

ac⋅cel⋅er⋅ate

  [ak-sel-uh-reyt] verb, -at⋅ed, -at⋅ing.
Use accelerate in a Sentence
–verb (used with object)
1. to cause faster or greater activity, development, progress, advancement, etc., in: to accelerate economic growth.
2. to hasten the occurrence of: to accelerate the fall of a government.
3. Mechanics. to change the velocity of (a body) or the rate of (motion); cause to undergo acceleration.
4. to reduce the time required for (a course of study) by intensifying the work, eliminating detail, etc.
–verb (used without object)
5. to move or go faster; increase in speed.
6. to progress or develop faster.
Origin:
1515–25; < L accelerātus speeded up (ptp. of accelerāre), equiv. to ac- ac- + celer swift + -ātus -ate 1

Related forms:
ac⋅cel⋅er⋅a⋅ble, adjective
ac⋅cel⋅er⋅at⋅ed⋅ly, adverb
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
Cite This Source Link To accelerate
ac·cel·er·ate   (āk-sěl'ə-rāt')   
v.   ac·cel·er·at·ed, ac·cel·er·at·ing, ac·cel·er·ates

v.   tr.

  1. To increase the speed of.

  2. To cause to occur sooner than expected.

  3. To cause to develop or progress more quickly: a substance used to accelerate a fire.

    1. To reduce the time required for (an academic course, for example); compress into a shorter period.

    2. To make it possible for (a student) to finish an academic course faster than usual.

  5. Physics To change the velocity of.

v.   intr.

  1. To move or act faster. See Synonyms at speed.

  2. To engage in an academic program that progresses faster than usual.


[Latin accelerāre, accelerāt- : ad-, intensive pref.; see ad- + celerāre, to quicken (from celer, swift).]
ac·cel'er·a'tive adj., ac·cel'er·a·to'ry (-ər-ə-tôr'ē, -tōr'ē) adj.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Word Origin & History

accelerate 
c.1525, from L. acceleratus, pp. of accelerare "quicken," from ad- "to" + celerare "hasten," from celer "swift" (see celerity). Accelerator in motor vehicle sense is first recorded 1900.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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Legal Dictionary

Main Entry: ac·cel·er·ate
Function: verb
Inflected Forms: -at·ed; -at·ing
transitive verb : to bring about at an earlier time: as a : to advance (the maturity date of a security agreement) so that payment of the debt in full is due immediately —see also ACCELERATION CLAUSE b : to cause (a future interest in property) to vest by removing the preceding interests (as by failure or premature termination) intransitive verb : to enforce an acceleration clause accelerate was suspended —J. J. White and Railroad S. Summers> —ac·cel·er·a·tion noun
Merriam-Webster's Dictionary of Law, © 1996 Merriam-Webster, Inc.
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Medical Dictionary

Main Entry: ac·cel·er·ate
Pronunciation: ik-'sel-&-"rAt, ak-
Function: verb
Inflected Forms: -at·ed; -at·ing
transitive senses
: to cause to move faster or speed up <accelerated speech and motor activity in manic patients>; also : to cause to undergoacceleration accelerate intransitive senses
: to move faster : gain speed
Merriam-Webster's Medical Dictionary, © 2002 Merriam-Webster, Inc.
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