I. -ləˌrāt, chiefly substand əˈs-; usu -ād.+V verb
( -ed/-ing/-s )
Etymology: Latin acceleratus, past participle of accelerare, from ad- + celerare to hasten, from celer swift — more at celerity
transitive verb
1. : to bring about at an earlier point of time
anxious to accelerate our departure — James Cook
2. : to add to the speed of or quicken the motion of
the voice caused me to accelerate my steps — W.H.Hudson
3. : to hasten the ordinary progress or the development of
war accelerated the old trends
hot weather accelerated their efforts to adjourn
: increase the rate or amount of
he decided to accelerate his advertising
4.
a. : to enable (a student) to complete a course of study more rapidly than usual
b. : to modify (as a course of study) by decreasing the time usually taken to complete the normal amount of work
5. : to cause to undergo acceleration ; especially : to increase the velocity of (a body)
intransitive verb
1.
a. : to become faster : move faster : gain speed
a pace that neither accelerates nor lags
b. : to increase in number or amount
the number of newspapers accelerated
c. : to open the throttle or accelerator
the driver accelerated gradually on the highway
2. : to follow a speeded-up educational program : progress from grade to grade more rapidly than usual : complete requirements (as for a diploma) more rapidly than usual
Synonyms: see speed
II. -lərə̇t, -ˌrāt, usu -d.+V noun
( -s )
: an accelerated pupil or student