Dispatched

Part of speech: verb

Definitions

1. Sent off goods, messages, or people to a planned place ; handled a task or problem quickly and efficiently
2. Dispatched items or persons by sending them away ; resolved or managed a matter without delay
3. Caused something or someone to be sent out or delivered ; took care of an issue swiftly and effectively

Etymology: The past tense of "dispatch" carries a surprising detail: its earliest recorded use comes from 1517, when Bishop Cuthbert Tunstall wrote it in the spelling "dispached." Tunstall had studied in Italy and served as a commissioner to Spain, which suggests the word reached English through diplomatic circles, an unusually early route for a borrowing from a Romance language other than French. The word probably came from Spanish "despachar" or Italian "dispacciare," both meaning to send off or dispose of business. The first part, "dis-," is a common prefix meaning apart or away. The second part is less certain: it may trace to a Vulgar Latin verb "pactāre," meaning to fasten, or to a Latin term "pedicāre," meaning to entrap or shackle, from "pēs," foot. That shared Latin root also lies behind "impeach." The spelling "despatch" with a second "s" entered English through Samuel Johnson's dictionary, probably by accident. The sense of sending something away gradually broadened to include clearing a matter quickly, which is why the word now also means handling a problem efficiently.

Synonyms: sent, delivered, shipped