Rapid

Part of speech: adjective

Pronunciation: /ˈɹæpɪd/

Definitions

1. Moving or occurring with great speed or quickness and often suddenness; describing something that happens swiftly or with high velocity; characterized by fast action or progress
2. Exhibiting swift movement or change in a short time span; referring to something that advances or proceeds briskly; indicating rapidity in motion or development
3. Marked by a high rate of occurrence or acceleration; used to denote something that is done or experienced quickly; pertaining to fast-paced or accelerated events or processes

Etymology: Latin "rapidus" meant "tearing away" or "swift as a seizing force," and it grew from "rapere," "to seize or snatch." The idea of speed in "rapid" is therefore rooted in the act of grabbing or carrying off something quickly. Latin rapidus was also the source of a related noun for a swift current, so the same root could describe both a person hurrying and water rushing downhill. English borrowed "rapid" from Middle French "rapide," which had itself taken the word from Latin. The adjective arrived with its literal sense of swiftness intact, and it has stayed close to that meaning ever since. Its relative "rapacious," meaning greedy or grasping, comes from the same Latin verb, so the two words share the old notion of seizing.

Synonyms: fast, quick, swift

Antonyms: slow, lethargic