Turbocharge

Part of speech: verb

Definitions

1. To substantially improve the speed or effectiveness of something
2. To increase the mechanical power of an engine by forcing extra air into the combustion chamber ; to boost the speed or effectiveness of an activity or process significantly
3. To equip an engine with a turbocharger to improve its airflow and output ; to speed up or intensify the effectiveness of a task or operation

Etymology: The "turbo" half of this word comes from the Latin "turbo," meaning a spinning top or whirlwind, which in turn gave English "turbine" for a machine driven by spinning blades. Whirling motion is the common thread: a whirlwind, a top, and a rotor all turn, and that rotation is what made the idea of a spinning engine part so useful. The "charge" half traces back to the Latin "carrus," a wheeled vehicle, which passed through Late Latin "carricare" (to load a cart) and Old French "chargier" before reaching Middle English. A charge was originally a load carried on a cart, and its sense of loading a container or a battery grew naturally from that idea of putting something heavy into a vessel. Joining the two gives a compound formed in English. In engines, the forced air is pushed in by a turbine-driven compressor, so the word literally describes loading an engine with extra air from a spinning device. Its later figurative sense, boosting the speed or effectiveness of something, follows the same logic of adding force from outside.

Synonyms: boost, enhance