expedite

See also: expedité

English

WOTD – 29 January 2012

Etymology

From Latin expedītus (“unimpeded, unfettered”), perfect passive participle of expediō (“bring forward, set right”).

Pronunciation

• (UK) IPA^(key): /ˈɛk.spəˌdaɪt/
• (US) IPA^(key): /ˈɛk.spɪˌdaɪt/

• Audio (US):

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• Audio (General Australian):

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Verb

expedite (third-person singular simple present expedites, present participle expediting, simple past and past participle expedited)

1. (transitive) To accelerate the progress of.

   He expedited the search by alphabetizing the papers.

   • 1950 October, “Notes and News: Early Multiple-Unit Trains, C.L.R.”, in Railway Magazine, page 712:

     The bodies and bogies were built by more than one firm, to expedite the work, and the electrical equipment was supplied by the British Thomson-Houston Co. Ltd.

   • 1960 June, “British cars go by rail: I-The L.M.R. wins new Anglo-Scottish traffic”, in Trains Illustrated, page 335:

     […] moreover, there are times of pressure when, to expedite deliveries, cars may be driven in what should otherwise be the running-in period at speeds that do them no good - and over long distances too.

2. (transitive, by extension) To perform (a task) fast and efficiently.
3. To perform the duties of an expediter.

Antonyms

• impede
• slow down

Related terms

• expede (obsolete)
• expedience
• expediency
• expedient
• expedition
• expediter
• expeditious
• expeditiously

Translations

accelerate progress

• Bulgarian: ускорявам (bg) (uskorjavam), способствам (bg) (sposobstvam)
• Dutch: versnellen (nl), in vaart brengen, bespoedigen (nl)
• Finnish: jouduttaa (fi), kiirehtiä (fi), nopeuttaa (fi)
• Galician: acelerar (gl), apresurar (gl), axilizar (gl)
• German: beschleunigen (de)
• Greek: επισπεύδω (el) (epispévdo), διευκολύνω (el) (diefkolýno)
• Irish: éascaigh
• Latin: expedio (la)
• Maori: whakakakama
• Polish: przyspieszyć (pl)
• Portuguese: acelerar (pt), apressar (pt), agilizar (pt)
• Russian: поторапливать (ru) (potoraplivatʹ), ускоря́ть (ru) (uskorjátʹ), продвига́ть (ru) (prodvigátʹ), спосо́бствовать (ru) (sposóbstvovatʹ)
• Spanish: acelerar (es), apresurar (es), agilizar (es), expeditar (es)
• Swedish: påskynda (sv)
• Telugu: వేగిరపెట్టు (te) (vēgirapeṭṭu)

process fast and efficiently

• Bulgarian: изпълнявам бързо (izpǎlnjavam bǎrzo)
• Finnish: kiirehtiä (fi)
• Greek: επισπεύδω (el) (epispévdo)
• Irish: éascaigh
• Maori: kakama
• Marathi: जलद (jalad)
• Russian: быстро выполня́ть (bystro vypolnjátʹ), быстро справля́ться (bystro spravljátʹsja)

Adjective

expedite (comparative more expedite, superlative most expedite)

1. Free of impediment; unimpeded.
   • 1594–1597, Richard Hooker, edited by J[ohn] S[penser], Of the Lawes of Ecclesiastical Politie, […], London: […] Will[iam] Stansby [for Matthew Lownes], published 1611, →OCLC, (please specify the page):

     to make the way plain and expedite

2. Expeditious; quick; prompt.
   • 1671, John Tillotson, “Sermon IV. The Advantages of Religion to Particular Persons. Psalm XIX. 11.”, in The Works of the Most Reverend Dr. John Tillotson, Late Lord Archbishop of Canterbury: […], 8th edition, London: […] T. Goodwin, B[enjamin] Tooke, and J. Pemberton, […]; J. Round […], and J[acob] Tonson] […], published 1720, →OCLC:

     nimble and expedite […] in its operation

   • 1689 (indicated as 1690), [John Locke], “Of other simple Modes”, in An Essay Concerning Humane Understanding. […], London: […] Eliz[abeth] Holt, for Thomas Basset, […], →OCLC, book II, § 7, page 111:

     […] Speech in general (which is a very ſhort and expedite way of conveying their Thoughts one to another) […]

Further reading

• Douglas Harper (2001–2024) “expedite”, in Online Etymology Dictionary.

Latin

Etymology

From expedītus (“unimpeded, unfettered”), perfect passive participle of expediō (“liberate, free”).

Pronunciation

• (Classical Latin) IPA^(key): /ek.speˈdiː.teː/, [ɛks̠pɛˈd̪iːt̪eː]
• (modern Italianate Ecclesiastical) IPA^(key): /ek.speˈdi.te/, [ekspeˈd̪iːt̪e]

Adverb

expedītē (comparative expedītius, superlative expedītissimē)

1. freely, without impediment.
2. readily, promptly, quickly

Related terms

• expediō
• expedītus

References

• “expedite”, in Charlton T. Lewis and Charles Short (1879) A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
• “expedite”, in Charlton T. Lewis (1891) An Elementary Latin Dictionary, New York: Harper & Brothers
• expedite in Gaffiot, Félix (1934) Dictionnaire illustré latin-français, Hachette.

Spanish

Verb

expedite

1. second-person singular voseo imperative of expedir combined with te
2. inflection of expeditar:
   1. first/third-person singular present subjunctive
   2. third-person singular imperative