Speed

Speed
This interesting and unusual surname has two possible, related, origins; the first is of Anglo-Saxon, pre-Conquest date, and is an example of the widespread and common practice of creating a surname from a nickname. In this instance the nickname was first applied to a fortunate person, from the Olde English pre 7th Century "sped", meaning generally, success, good fortune, smooth progress, and retaining its original spelling in the Middle English term "sped". The modern sense of the word, "swiftness", is an obvious development of this usage. The second possible origin of the modern surname is also from a nickname, created from a derived sense of "sped" as before, here applied to a swift runner. The Register of Wills for Chester records the will of Cicilie Speed of Tattenhall, a widow, in 1578, and one Richard Speed was an early emigrant to the New World, leaving London on board the "Peter Bonaventure" in April 1635, bound for the "Barbadoes". The first recorded spelling of the family name is shown to be that of Godfrey Sped, which was dated 1185, in the "Pipe Rolls of Suffolk", during the reign of King Henry 11, known as "The Builder of Churches", 1154 - 1189. Surnames became necessary when governments introduced personal taxation. In England this was known as Poll Tax. Throughout the centuries, surnames in every country have continued to "develop" often leading to astonishing variants of the original spelling.

Surnames reference. 2013.

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  • Speed — bezeichnet: die Droge Amphetamin Speed (Kartenspiel), ein Kartenspiel Speed, einen Schokoriegel der Aldi Süd Kette; siehe Twix#Nachahmungen Speedklettern in Kurzform Speed – The Ride, eine Achterbahn im Nascar Café Speed: No Limits, eine… …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • speed — n 1 *haste, hurry, expedition, dispatch Analogous words: *celerity, legerity, alacrity: fleetness, rapidity, swiftness, quickness (see corresponding adjectives at FAST): velocity, pace, headway (see SPEED) 2 Speed, velocity, momentum, impetus,… …   New Dictionary of Synonyms

  • Speed — Speed, n. [AS. sp?d success, swiftness, from sp?wan to succeed; akin to D. spoedd, OHG. spuot success, spuot to succees, Skr. sph[=a] to increase, grow fat. [root]170b.] 1. Prosperity in an undertaking; favorable issue; success. For common speed …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • speed — [spēd] n. [ME sped < OE spæd, wealth, power, success, akin to spowan, to prosper, succeed < IE base * spēi , to flourish, expand > SPACE, SPARE] 1. the act or state of moving rapidly; swiftness; quick motion 2. a) the rate of movement or …   English World dictionary

  • Speed — Speed, v. t. 1. To cause to be successful, or to prosper; hence, to aid; to favor. Fortune speed us! Shak. [1913 Webster] With rising gales that speed their happy flight. Dryden. [1913 Webster] 2. To cause to make haste; to dispatch with… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • speed — [ spid ] n. m. et adj. • 1968; mot angl., proprt « vitesse » ♦ Anglic. fam. 1 ♦ Amphétamine, L. S. D. Prendre du speed. 2 ♦ Adj. Qui a pris des amphétamines. ♢ Très agité, excité. Elle est speed, la directrice ! speed [spid] n. m. et adj. ÉTYM.… …   Encyclopédie Universelle

  • Speed — 〈[ spi:d]〉 I 〈m. 6; Sp.〉 1. Geschwindigkeit 2. Geschwindigkeitssteigerung II 〈n. 15; Drogenszene〉 Aufputschmittel, z. B. Amphetamin [engl.] * * * …   Universal-Lexikon

  • speed — ► NOUN 1) the rate at which someone or something moves or operates. 2) rapidity of movement or action. 3) each of the possible gear ratios of a bicycle. 4) the light gathering power or f number of a camera lens. 5) the duration of a photographic… …   English terms dictionary

  • Speed — Speed, NC U.S. town in North Carolina Population (2000): 70 Housing Units (2000): 60 Land area (2000): 0.283009 sq. miles (0.732990 sq. km) Water area (2000): 0.000000 sq. miles (0.000000 sq. km) Total area (2000): 0.283009 sq. miles (0.732990 sq …   StarDict's U.S. Gazetteer Places

  • Speed — (sp[=e]d), v. i. [imp. & p. p. {Sped} (sp[e^]d), {Speeded}; p. pr. & vb. n. {Speeding}.] [AS. sp[=e]dan, fr. sp[=e]d, n.; akin to D. spoeden, G. sich sputen. See {Speed}, n.] 1. To go; to fare. [Obs.] [1913 Webster] To warn him now he is too… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • speed|up — speed up or speed|up «SPEED UHP», noun. an increase in speed, as in some process or work: »Among the urgent areas for study, the report included…speed up of boarding and deplaning procedures (Science News Letter) …   Useful english dictionary

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