Celerity
[sə-LER-it-ee]
Part of speech: noun
Origin: Latin, 15th century
1.
Swiftness of movement.
Examples of Celerity in a sentence
"When the fire alarm went off, everyone headed to the exits with celerity."
"Judging the celerity of an incoming wave is crucial for surfers."
About Celerity
French has a word, "célérité," which has essentially the same pronunciation and meaning as the English word. But "celerity" likely entered English in the late 15th century directly from the Latin "celeritas," which means "quickness" or "haste."
Did you Know?
Celerity is a noun that refers to action occurring at a rapid pace. It can be a literal quickness of the feet, or it can be a general sense of urgency. Use "celerity" when a quick response is important.
