Accelerations

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. The process of increasing speed or rate of motion in an object or system
2. The act of becoming more rapid in a particular activity or phenomenon
3. An increase in the velocity of an object over time, indicating a change in speed or direction

Etymology: The plural "accelerations" simply pairs the noun "acceleration" with the regular "-s" ending, so the interesting history lies in the base word. It came into English in the 1530s from Latin "accelerātiō," meaning "a hastening," built from "accelerāre" ("to hasten"). Its first English appearance is recorded in 1531, and it may have reached English directly from Latin rather than passing through French. The Latin verb "accelerāre" is itself a compound of the prefix "ad-" ("to") and "celer" ("swift"), a word whose root also gave English "celerity," meaning speed or swiftness. So at its core, "acceleration" is a word about quickness, and its modern physical sense of a change in velocity grew out of that older idea of simply hastening something along.

Synonyms: speeding, hastening, quickening, gaining, boosting

Antonyms: decelerations, slowing, reductions, diminishing, decrease