celerity

[suh-ler-i-tee] /səˈlɛr ɪ ti/

noun

swiftness; speed.

Origin

1480-90; earlier celerite < Middle French < Latin celeritās, equivalent to celer swift + -itās -ity

Synonyms

alacrity, dispatch, briskness. See speed.

Examples from the web for celerity

The findings support the swiftness or celerity element of deterrence theory.
For deep water waves, the wave height is virtually unaffected by the depth and the wave celerity is unaffected by the bottom.
The kinematic wave celerity, c k, is interpreted as the velocity at which a disturbance travels through the channel network.
As the storm sewer fills, the flow will return to subcritical as the celerity increases rapidly.

British Dictionary definitions for celerity

celerity

/sɪˈlɛrɪtɪ/

noun

rapidity; swiftness; speed

Word Origin

C15: from Old French celerite, from Latin celeritās, from celer swift

Word Origin and History for celerity

late 15c., from Old French celeritee (14c., Modern French célérité), from Latin celeritatem (nominative celeritas) "swiftness," from celer "swift," from possible PIE root *kel- "to drive, set in swift motion" (cf. Sanskrit carati "goes," Greek keles "fast horse or ship," keleuthos "journey, road," Lithuanian sulys "a gallop," Old High German scelo "stallion").