Godspeed
Appearance
English
Alternative forms
Etymology
From Middle English phrase God spede (“may God cause you to succeed”), from God (“God”) + spede, singular subjunctive of spedan (“to prosper”), from Old English spēdan, from spēd (“success”) (see English speed).
Pronunciation
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Audio (US): (file)
Interjection
Godspeed
- (dated) The wish that the outcome of someone's actions is positive for them, typically someone about to start a journey or a daring endeavor.
- 1925-29, Mahadev Desai (translator), M.K. Gandhi, The Story of My Experiments with Truth, Part I, chapter xi:
- I arrived at last, did obeisance to my uncle, and told him everything. He thought it over and said: ' […] At the threshold of death, how dare I give you permission to go to England, to cross the seas? But I will not stand in your way. It is your mother's permission which really matters. If she permit you, then godspeed! Tell her I will not interfere. You will go with my blessings.'
- 1962 February 20, Scott Carpenter, (Please provide the book title or journal name):
- Godspeed, John Glenn.
- 2007 May 12, Peter Steinfels, “At Commencement, a Call for Religious Literacy”, in New York Times[1]:
- And godspeed.
- 1925-29, Mahadev Desai (translator), M.K. Gandhi, The Story of My Experiments with Truth, Part I, chapter xi:
Noun
Godspeed (plural Godspeeds)
- (dated) A statement of wishing someone a prosperous journey, or success.
- 1678, John Bunyan, The Pilgrim's Progress:
- Evangelist, after he had kissed him, gave him one smile, and bid him God-speed.
- 1848, Anne Brontë, The Tenant of Wildfell Hall:
- "I'm wishing you God-speed, Hattersley," cried Arthur, "and aiding you with my prayers."
- 1879, Henry James, Roderick Hudson:
- Rowland at the garden gate was giving his hostess Godspeed on her way to church.
- 1884 November 2, “Thon”, in The Critic and Good Literature[2], number 44, page 210:
- The new word has received a number of godspeeds, some of which we quote.
- 1914, James Joyce, Dubliners:
- Eight years before he had seen his friend off at the North Wall and wished him God-speed.
Synonyms
Related terms
Translations
wish that the outcome of someone's actions is positive for them
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Categories:
- English terms inherited from Middle English
- English terms derived from Middle English
- English terms inherited from Old English
- English terms derived from Old English
- English 2-syllable words
- English terms with IPA pronunciation
- English terms with audio pronunciation
- English lemmas
- English interjections
- English dated terms
- English terms with quotations
- English nouns
- English countable nouns