ve·loc·i·ty

(və-lŏs′ĭ-tē)

n. pl. ve·loc·i·ties

1. Rapidity or speed of motion; swiftness.

2. Physics A vector quantity whose magnitude is a body's speed and whose direction is the body's direction of motion.

a. The rate of speed of action or occurrence.

b. The rate at which money changes hands in an economy.

[Middle English velocite, from Old French, from Latin vēlōcitās, from vēlōx, vēlōc-, fast; see weg- in Indo-European roots.]

American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

velocity

(vɪˈlɒsɪtɪ)

n, pl -ties

1. speed of motion, action, or operation; rapidity; swiftness

2. (Units) physics a measure of the rate of motion of a body expressed as the rate of change of its position in a particular direction with time. It is measured in metres per second, miles per hour, etc. Symbol: u, v or w

3. physics (not in technical usage) another word for speed³

[C16: from Latin vēlōcitās, from vēlōx swift; related to volāre to fly]

Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014

ve•loc•i•ty

(vəˈlɒs ɪ ti)

n., pl. -ties.

1. rapidity of motion, action, or operation; swiftness; speed.

2. Mech. the time rate of change of position of a body in a specified direction.

[1540–50; < Latin vēlōcitās speed. See velocipede, -ty²]

syn: See speed.

ve·loc·i·ty

(və-lŏs′ĭ-tē)

The rate at which an object moves in a specified direction.

Usage We normally think of velocity as the speed at which an object is traveling. But in physics, velocity and speed are not the same. Like speed, velocity refers to the rate at which an object is moving—the distance per unit of time. But velocity in physics also includes the direction in which the object is moving, whereas direction has no bearing on an object's speed. For example, if two cars were driving at a rate of 50 miles per hour, and both headed due north, you could rightly say that they were both traveling at the same speed and at the same velocity. But if one of the cars were to turn west at a certain point, continuing at the same rate of 50 miles per hour, you could only say that they were traveling at the same speed, not at the same velocity. Similarly, traveling around a curve, a car may maintain the same speed throughout, but its velocity will be constantly changing. This change in velocity over time is called acceleration.

The American Heritage® Student Science Dictionary, Second Edition. Copyright © 2014 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

velocity

Rate of motion in a particular direction.

ThesaurusAntonymsRelated WordsSynonymsLegend:

Noun

velocity - distance travelled per unit time

speed

angular velocity - (physics) the rate of change of the angular position of a rotating body; usually expressed in radians per second or radians per minute

airspeed - the speed of an aircraft relative to the air in which it is flying

escape velocity - the minimum velocity needed to escape a gravitational field

groundspeed - the speed of an aircraft relative to the ground

hypervelocity - excessive velocity; "the meteorites struck the earth with hypervelocity impacts"

muzzle velocity - the velocity of a projectile as it leaves the muzzle of a gun

peculiar velocity - velocity with respect to the local standard of rest

radial velocity - velocity along the line of sight toward or away from the observer

light speed, speed of light, c - the speed at which light travels in a vacuum; the constancy and universality of the speed of light is recognized by defining it to be exactly 299,792,458 meters per second

steerageway - (nautical) the minimum rate of motion needed for a vessel to be maneuvered

terminal velocity - the constant maximum velocity reached by a body falling through the atmosphere under the attraction of gravity

rate - a magnitude or frequency relative to a time unit; "they traveled at a rate of 55 miles per hour"; "the rate of change was faster than expected"

velocity

noun speed, pace, rapidity, quickness, swiftness, fleetness, celerity the velocity at which the planets orbit

Collins Thesaurus of the English Language – Complete and Unabridged 2nd Edition. 2002 © HarperCollins Publishers 1995, 2002

velocity

noun

Rate of motion or performance:

pace, speed, tempo.

Informal: clip.

Translations

سُرْعَه

rychlost

hastighedvelocitet

Geschwindigkeit

ταχύτητα

velocidad

nopeusvauhti

allure rapidité vélocité vitesse

hraîi

ātrums

farthastighet

velocity

[vɪˈlɒsɪtɪ] N → velocidad f

Collins Spanish Dictionary - Complete and Unabridged 8th Edition 2005 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1971, 1988 © HarperCollins Publishers 1992, 1993, 1996, 1997, 2000, 2003, 2005

velocity

[vɪˈlɒsəti] n → vitesse f

Collins English/French Electronic Resource. © HarperCollins Publishers 2005

velocity

n → Geschwindigkeit f

Collins German Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged 7th Edition 2005. © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1980 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1997, 1999, 2004, 2005, 2007

velocity

[vɪˈlɒsɪtɪ] n → velocità f inv

velocity

(vəˈlosəti) noun

speed, especially in a given direction.

Mentioned in

References in classic literature

What will be the period of transit of the projectile when endowed with sufficient initial velocity? and, consequently, at what moment ought it to be discharged in order that it may touch the moon at a particular point?

View in context

The definition of a "momentary thing" involves problems concerning time, since the particulars constituting a momentary thing will not be all simultaneous, but will travel outward from the thing with the velocity of light (in case the thing is in vacuo).

View in context

"But," rejoined the officer, "could any balloon withstand the wear and tear of such velocity?"

View in context

"This model (which, through want of time, we have necessarily described in an imperfect manner,) was put in action at the Adelaide Gallery, where it accomplished a velocity of five miles per hour; although, strange to say, it excited very little interest in comparison with the previous complex machine of Mr.

View in context

Presently, as I went on, still gaining velocity, the palpitation of night and day merged into one continuous greyness; the sky took on a wonderful deepness of blue, a splendid luminous color like that of early twilight; the jerking sun became a streak of fire, a brilliant arch, in space; the moon a fainter fluctuating band; and I could see nothing of the stars, save now and then a brighter circle flickering in the blue.

View in context

The canoe whirled with each cunning evolution of the chase, like a bubble floating in a whirlpool; and when the direction of the pursuit admitted of a straight course the little bark skimmed the lake with a velocity that urged the deer to seek its safety in some new turn.

View in context

"Just so," said Nicholl; "it is from that point that we must calculate the velocity, since we know already that the velocity at departure was exactly one and a half times more than on leaving the atmosphere."

View in context

On the contrary he gazed joyfully, his eyes moist with tears, at this bright comet which, having traveled in its orbit with inconceivable velocity through immeasurable space, seemed suddenly- like an arrow piercing the earth- to remain fixed in a chosen spot, vigorously holding its tail erect, shining and displaying its white light amid countless other scintillating stars.

View in context

My speed was so great that I could see nothing about me but a blurred and indistinct sheet of smooth and frozen snow, that rushed past me with express-train velocity.

View in context

It was thus with the Pequod's; at almost every shock the helmsman had not failed to notice the whirling velocity with which they revolved upon the cards; it is a sight that hardly any one can behold without some sort of unwonted emotion.

View in context

(which I naturally assumed to be Women) interspersed with other Beings still smaller and of the nature of lustrous points -- all moving to and fro in one and the same Straight Line, and, as nearly as I could judge, with the same velocity.

View in context

Presently a great hole was torn in the hull of one of the immense battle craft from the Zodangan camp; with a lurch she turned completely over, the little figures of her crew plunging, turning and twisting toward the ground a thousand feet below; then with sickening velocity she tore after them, almost completely burying herself in the soft loam of the ancient sea bottom.

View in context