rapid
/ˈɹæp.ɪd/ adjective, adverb, noun
Forms rapider rapidest rapids
- adjective Very swift or quick. “a rapid stream”
- adjective Steep, changing altitude quickly. (of a slope)
- adjective Needing only a brief exposure time. (of a lens, plate, film, etc.)
- adjective (England, dialectal) Violent, severe.
- adjective (obsolete, dialectal) Happy.
- adverb (archaic, colloquial) Rapidly.
- noun (usually in the plural) A rough section of a river or stream which is difficult to navigate due to the swift and turbulent motion of the water.
- noun (dated) A burst of rapid fire.
Synonyms
Etymology
Borrowed from Middle French rapide and its etymon Latin rapidus.
Webster’s 1913
- adjective Very swift or quick; moving with celerity; fast; as, a rapid stream; a rapid flight; a rapid motion.
- adjective Advancing with haste or speed; speedy in progression; in quick sequence; as, rapid growth; rapid improvement; rapid recurrence; rapid succession.
- noun The part of a river where the current moves with great swiftness, but without actual waterfall or cascade; --usually in the plural; as, the Lachine rapids in the St. Lawrence.
Etymology [L. rapidus, fr. rapere to seize and carry off, to snatch or hurry away; perhaps akin to Gr. rapide. Cf. Harpy, Ravish.]
Etymology [Cf. F. rapide. See Rapid, a.]
Sources: Wiktionary · WordNet 3.0 · Webster’s 1913 — from the Wiktionary entry “rapid”, CC BY-SA 4.0. Details