Search the Dictionary

To quicken the natural or ordinary progression or process of; as, to accelerate the growth of a plant, the increase of wealth, etc.

The act of accelerating, or the state of being accelerated; increase of motion or action; as, a falling body moves toward the earth with an acceleration of velocity; -- opposed to retardation. A period of social improvement, or of intellectual advancement, contains within itself a principle of acceleration. I. Taylor.…

One who, or that which, accelerates. Also as an adj.; as, accelerator nerves.

To accelerate the growth or progress; to further; to forward; to help on; to aid; to heighten; as, to advance the ripening of fruit; to advance one's interests.

icle. -- To crowd sail (Naut.), to carry an extraordinary amount of sail, with a view to accelerate the speed of a vessel; to carry a press of sail.

To relieve of impediments; to facilitate; to accelerate the process or progress of; to hasten; to quicken; as, to expedite the growth of plants. To expedite your glorious march. Milton.

To help onward; to advance; to promote; to accelerate; to quicken; to hasten; as, to forward the growth of a plant; to forward one in improvement.

The quantity of plaster of Paris used with common plaster to accelerate its setting.

To press; to drive or urge forward; to push on; to precipitate; to accelerate the movement of; to expedite; to hurry. I would hasten my escape from the windy storm. Ps. lv. 8.

moving appeal. I sang an old moving story. Coleridge. Moving force (Mech.), a force that accelerates, retards, or deflects the motion of a body. -- Moving plant (Bot.), a leguminous plant (Desmodium gyrans); -- so called because its leaflets have a distinct automatic motion.

htly; to impart additional energy to; to stimulate; to make quick or rapid; to hasten; to accelerate; as, to quicken one's steps or thoughts; to quicken one's departure or speed.

r; as, to retard the march of an army; to retard the motion of a ship; -- opposed to Ant: accelerate.

In an opera or oratorio, a coda, or winding up, in an accelerated time. [Written also stretta.]

cribed varies from instant, either increasing or decreasing; -- in the former case called accelerated velocity, in the latter, retarded velocity; the acceleration or retardation itself being also either uniform or variable. -- Virtual velocity. See under Virtual.