English
rapidity
Rapidity comes from French rapidité ‘swiftness, fastness, quickness’, from Latin rapiō ‘to snatch (oneself)’, and ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *h₁reh₁p-.
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*h₁reh₁p-‘to take away, snatch’reconstructed
- Proto-Indo-European, derivedc. 4500–2500 BCE*h₁r̥h₁pyétireconstructed
- Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*rapjō‘to seize, take away’reconstructed
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CErapiō‘to snatch (oneself)’
- Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CErapidus‘rapid, swift’
- Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CErapiditas‘swiftness, velocity, rapidity’
- Frenchc. 1600–presentrapidité‘swiftness, fastness, quickness’
- Englishearliest quotation 1944rapidity
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed
Lineage
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*h₁reh₁p-‘to take away, snatch’reconstructed
- Proto-Indo-European, derivedc. 4500–2500 BCE*h₁r̥h₁pyétireconstructed
- Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*rapjō‘to seize, take away’reconstructed
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CErapiō‘to snatch (oneself)’
- Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CErapidus‘rapid, swift’
- Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CErapiditas‘swiftness, velocity, rapidity’
- Frenchc. 1600–presentrapidité‘swiftness, fastness, quickness’
- Englishearliest quotation 1944rapidity
Earliest quotation: 1944, and December, A Broadening Horizon: “Although appreciating the rapidity and frequency of the Southern…”
Linked words
through Proto-Indo-European *h₁reh₁p- ‘to take away, snatch’
grave, repent, reeve, graf, surreptitious, 14 more
through Latin rapiō ‘to snatch (oneself)’
rape, ravine, rapture, raptor, rapacious, rapt, ravin, 7 more
Today it means
noun speed, swiftness; the condition of being rapid
Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.
Etymograph / Proto-Indo-European *h₁reh₁p- / rapidity