Turbo
/ˈtɜːr.boʊ/noun
A device or mode that increases speed or power, especially in an engine.
Did you know?Turbo comes from Latin turbo, meaning a spinning top, whirl, or vortex, and that same root gave Latin turbo the sense of a violent swirling force long before engines ever existed.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*ter-
“To rub, twist, or turn.”
Latin
Latin
turbo
“A whirl, vortex, spinning top, or violent eddy.”
Late Latin
Latin
turbo
“A whirling mass or spinning motion.”
20th Century
English
turbo
“Short for turbocharger, a device driven by exhaust gas to increase engine power.”
Modern English
English
turbo
“Something operating at boosted speed or power; also used informally for anything intensified or accelerated.”