ˌekspəˈdishən noun
( -s )
Etymology: Middle English expedicioun, from Middle French & Latin; Middle French expedition, from Latin expedition-, expeditio, from expeditus (past participle of expedire to set free, make ready) + -ion-, -io -ion
1.
a. : a journey, voyage, or excursion undertaken for a specific purpose
had charge of the expedition to observe the transit of Venus in China — W.C.Rufus
military expeditions
an archaeological expedition
a whaling expedition
b. : the group of persons making such an expedition
the gun belongs to the expedition — C.B.Hitchcock
2. : efficient promptness : speed , haste
put her things on with remarkable expedition — Arnold Bennett
3. obsolete : the quality or state of being expedited
let us deliver our puissance into the hand of God, putting it straight in expedition — Shakespeare
Synonyms: see haste