Adjacent Words

Celerity definitions

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Webster's 1828 Dictionary

CELERITY, n.
1. Rapidity in motion; swiftness; speed; applied most generally to bodies moving on or near the earth; as the celerity of horse or of a fowl. We speak of the velocity of sound or of light, or of a planet in its orbit. This distinction however is not general, nor can the different uses of the two words be precisely defined. We apply celerity rather than velocity to thought; but there seems to be no reason, except usage, why the two words should not be synonymous.
2. An affection of motion by which a movable body runs through a given space in a given time.

WordNet (r) 3.0 (2005)

n
1: a rate that is rapid [syn: celerity, quickness, rapidity, rapidness, speediness]

Merriam Webster's

noun Etymology: Middle English celerite, from Anglo-French, from Latin celeritat-, celeritas, from celer swift — more at hold Date: 15th century rapidity of motion or action

Oxford Reference Dictionary

n. archaic or literary swiftness (esp. of a living creature). Etymology: ME f. F célérité f. L celeritas -tatis f. celer swift

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Celerity Ce*ler"i*ty, n. [L. celeritas, from celer swiftm speedy: sf. F. c['e]l['e]rit['e].] Rapidity of motion; quickness; swiftness. Time, with all its celerity, moves slowly to him whose whole employment is to watch its flight. --Johnson.

Soule's Dictionary of English Synonyms

n. Speed, quickness, swiftness, rapidity, fleetness, velocity (when used of inanimate objects).

Moby Thesaurus

air speed, alacrity, bat, briskness, dispatch, expedition, expeditiousness, fastness, flight, flit, flurry, gait, ground speed, haste, hurry, hustle, instantaneousness, knots, legerity, lightning speed, miles per hour, pace, precipitation, promptitude, promptness, quickness, rapidity, round pace, rpm, rush, rustle, snappiness, speed, speediness, swift rate, swiftness, velocity