Acceleratory

Part of speech: adjective

Definitions

1. Connected to the mechanism that enhances speed or progress
2. Pertaining to factors that cause a faster rate of change or development
3. Associated with increasing the velocity or pace of an action or event

Etymology: Acceleratory is a straightforward formation: the adjective "accelerate" plus the suffix "-ory," which turns a verb into an adjective meaning "serving to" or "tending toward" the action. "Accelerate" comes from the Latin "accelerare," meaning "to hasten," built from "ad-" ("to") and "celer" ("swift"). That same Latin root gives English "celerity," a formal word for speed, which shows up in the tone of "accelerate" as well. English "accelerate" appeared in the early 1600s, and "acceleratory" followed as a derivative in the same formal, technical register, most often used in scientific or medical writing to describe a process or effect that speeds something up.

Synonyms: accelerative, speeding, hastening

Antonyms: deceleratory, slowing