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imp. & p. p. of Speed.

To issue with speed and violence; to move with activity; to dart; to shoot. And sudden light Sprung through the vaulted roof. Dryden.

To run very rapidly; to run at full speed. A runner [in a quarter-mile race] should be able to sprint the whole way. Encyc. Brit.

A contrivance for recording the speed of a railway train. Knight.

set at the side of a principal or square sail of a vessel in free winds, to increase her speed. Its head is bent to a small spar which is called the studding-sail boom. See Illust. of Sail. Toten.

in money rendered to the sovereign or to a friendly power. They advised the king to send speedy aids, and with much alacrity granted a great rate of subsidy. Bacon.

Girded or tucked up; bound; drawn tightly together. His habit fit for speed succinct. Milton.

brief notice; coming unexpectedly, or without the common preparation; immediate; instant; speedy. "O sudden wo!" Chaucer. "For fear of sudden death." Shak. Sudden fear troubleth thee. Job xxii. 10.

a great distance in a short time; moving with celerity or velocity; fleet; rapid; quick; speedy; prompt. My beloved brethren, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath. James i. 19. Swift of dispatch and easy of access. Dryden. And bring upon themselves swift destruction. 2 Pet. ii. 1.…

The quality or state of being swift; speed; quickness; celerity; velocity; rapidity; as, the swiftness of a bird; the swiftness of a stream; swiftness of descent in a falling body; swiftness of thought, etc.

Instantly; quickly; speedily; rapidly. [Obs.] That thou doest, do thou swithe. Wyclif (John xiii. 27).

An instrument for showing at any moment the speed of a revolving shaft, consisting of a delicate revolving conical pendulum which is driven by the shaft, and the action of which by change of speed moves a pointer which indicates the speed on a graduated dial.

A speed indicator; a tachometer.

Swiftly; speedily; rapidly; -- a fox-hunting term; as, to ride tantivy.

To ascertain or record the time, duration, or rate of; as, to time the speed of horses, or hours for workmen.

lines representing miles, and having diagonals (usually movable strings) representing the speed and position of various trains.

small intervals of time can be measured; a kind of stop watch. It is used for timing the speed of horses, machinery, etc.

With great speed; -- a huntsman's word or sound. Dryden.

tom, used in some torpedo and fast power boats. It prevents settling in the water at high speed.

The quality or state of being transitory; speedy passage or departure.