Acceleration
/əkˌsɛləˈreɪʃən/noun
The process of increasing in speed or the rate at which velocity changes over time.
Did you know?The word comes from Latin celer, “swift,” a root also preserved in the English word celerity, meaning rapidity or swiftness.
Etymological Timeline
Classical Latin
Latin
celer
“Swift, rapid, quick”
Classical Latin
Latin
celerare
“To hasten or make swift”
Classical Latin
Latin
accelerare
“To hasten toward; to speed up, formed with ad- (“toward”) plus celerare”
Late Latin
Latin
acceleratio
“A hastening or speeding up”
15th Century
Middle French
accélération
“An increase in speed or hastening”
16th Century
English
acceleration
“The act of speeding up or hastening”
Modern English
English
acceleration
“The rate of change of velocity, or more generally an increase in speed”
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