acceleration
UK: əkˌseləˈreɪʃən | US: əkˌseləˈreɪʃən
n. the rate of change of velocity per unit of time
n. the act or process of moving faster or happening more quickly
n. (physics) the increase in speed of an object over time
acceleration = ac<to, toward> + celer<fast> + ation<noun suffix>
- ac (prefix): from Latin ad- ("to, toward"), assimilated to ac- before c-.
- celer (root): from Latin celer ("fast, swift").
- ation (suffix): Latin -atio, forming nouns indicating an action or process.
Etymology Origin:
The word acceleration traces back to Latin accelerare ("to hasten"), combining ad- (intensifying "to") + celer ("swift"). It entered English via Old French in the 15th century, initially meaning "the act of speeding up." The scientific sense (rate of velocity change) emerged in the 17th century with Newtonian physics. The morphemes reflect a logical progression: "moving toward speed."
The car's acceleration was impressive, reaching 60 mph in just 4 seconds.
Economic acceleration led to rapid job creation in the tech sector.
In physics class, we calculated the acceleration of a falling object.
The startup’s growth showed remarkable acceleration after the funding round.
A lack of exercise can cause a decline in metabolic acceleration.