Speed Once Meant Success, and Godspeed Still Does
Speed is the rate of movement. The Old English word meant success or prosperity, which survives in one farewell.
Speed is the rate at which something moves. The original meaning was quite different: Old English *sped* meant success, prosperity or good fortune, and *Godspeed* preserves it exactly — it means may God grant you success, not may God make you fast. The modern sense grew from the idea that things prosper when they move along well. In physics *speed* is a scalar and *velocity* a vector, meaning velocity includes direction and speed does not.
- Rate of movement. *At high speed.*
- Success (archaic). *Godspeed.*
- To move quickly. *The car sped away.*
- Velocity — speed with direction. *Velocity.*
- Old English — *sped*, success. *The source.*
Word forms
| Form | Word | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Noun | speed | High speed. |
| Verb | speed | Speed up. |
| Past | sped / speeded | Sped. |
| Adjective | speedy | Speedy. |
| Archaic | Godspeed | Godspeed. |
- The train reached top speed.Movement.
- Godspeed on your journey.Old sense.
- Velocity includes direction.Physics.
Speed and velocity
- Speed — how fast, a scalar with magnitude only
- Velocity — how fast and in which direction, a vector
- A car going round a bend at constant speed is changing velocity
- Acceleration is a change in velocity, so turning counts
- Average speed is total distance over total time
Old English *sped*, success, prosperity or swiftness, from a Germanic root meaning to prosper.
What does Godspeed mean?
May God grant you success. It preserves the original meaning of speed, which was prosperity rather than swiftness.
What is the difference between speed and velocity?
Speed is magnitude only; velocity includes direction. A car cornering at a steady speed has changing velocity.