velocity

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English

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English Wikipedia has an article on:
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Etymology

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From Middle French vélocité, from Latin vēlōcitās (speed), from vēlōx (fast), thus a doublet of veloce.

Pronunciation

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Noun

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velocity (countable and uncountable, plural velocities)

  1. (physics) A vector quantity that denotes the rate of change of position with respect to time, combining speed with a directional component.
    A car racing in a circle may retain the same speed while continually changing its velocity.
  2. Rapidity of motion.
    Synonyms: see Thesaurus:speed
    The train was travelling at a slower velocity than usual.
    • 1997, Thomas Pynchon, chapter 39, in Mason & Dixon, 1st US edition, New York: Henry Holt and Company, →ISBN, part Two: America, page 395:
      Over the winter-solid Roads, goes a great seething,— of mounted younger Gentlemen riding together by the dozens upon rented horses, Express Messengers in love with pure Velocity, Disgruntl'd Suitors with Pistols stuff'd in their Spatterdashes, seal'd Waggons not even a western Black-Boy would think of detaining.
  3. The rate of occurrence.
  4. (economics) The number of times that an average unit of currency is spent during a specific period of time.

Synonyms

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  • (rapidity of motion; rate of occurrence): speed

Hyponyms

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Derived terms

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Translations

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