celerity means speed, swiftness.
celerity is pronounced /sɪˈlɛɹɪti/.
Why “celerity” is a great word
Swiftness or rapidity of motion or action. From Old French *celeritee*, from Latin *celeritas* ("swiftness"), from *celer* ("fast, swift"). Unlike *alacrity*, which carries the cheerful breathlessness of eager readiness, or *velocity*, which in its technical precision demands both speed and direction, celerity is the scalar essence of pure, unadorned haste. It is the silver flash of a minnow turning in unison, the blade of a guillotine falling through its groove, or the immediate, chilling recognition that flashes between two people in a crowded room—the quality of speed distilled to its absolute, often irrevocable, point.
Etymology
From Old French celeritee (compare French célérité), from Latin celeritas, from celer (“fast, swift”).
noun
- Speed, swiftness.e.g.“O most kind maid, / It was the swift celerity of his death, / Which I did think with slower foot came on, / That brain'd my purpose.” — c. 1603–1604 (date written), William Shakespeare, “Measure for Measure”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount,
- The speed of an individual wave (as opposed to the speed of groups of waves); often denoted c.
- The speed of an individual wave (as opposed to the speed of groups of waves); often denoted c.; The speed with which a perturbation to the flow propagates through the flow domain.
- The speed of symbol transmission, now called baud rate.e.g.“Celerity of dispatching the Chappe telegraph [section title]” — 1867, Taliaferro Preston Shaffner, The Telegraph Manual:
Definitions & examples from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 3.0).
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