Expedite

How to spell expedite

8 letters · 3 syllables

How to pronounce expedite

Say the part in capitals loudest.

What does expedite mean?

1. verbTo make a process happen sooner or more quickly by removing delays.

Expedite in a sentence

• Paying a small fee will expedite delivery of the passport.

• The manager agreed to expedite the refund once she saw the receipt.

Where does expedite come from?

Language of origin: Latin

This word comes from the Latin verb expedire, which literally meant 'to free the feet', built from ex- 'out' and the noun pes (stem ped-) meaning 'foot'. The original image was of releasing an animal or a person whose feet were caught in a snare or shackle, and from there it broadened to mean disentangling any obstacle and getting things moving freely. By the time it reached late Latin and Middle French it carried the sense of making something ready and clearing the way, and English adopted it in the sixteenth century with the modern meaning of speeding a process along. The same ped 'foot' root sits inside everyday relatives such as 'pedestrian' and 'pedal', while its opposite, 'impede' (literally to shackle the feet), shows the contrast neatly. Remembering that hidden 'foot' helps with the spelling: it is ex-PED-ite, not 'expedate', and the ending is -ite rather than -ate.

How the word is built

• ex- (out)
• ped (foot, from Latin pes/pedis)
• -ite (verb-forming suffix)