The source of the three definitions of celerity presented in the next paragraph is The Urban Dictionary of Slang, an on-line dictionary built upon citations contributed by on-line visitors rather than by professional etymologists. The celerity of the squirrel's movements. 1751 JOHNSON My quickness of apprehension, and celerity of reply.1607 TOPSELL The cats followed with the same celerity and agility.1591 HORSEY I speed my bussynes with as much seleritie as I can.

OED Citations on celerity, velocity, and Alfvén. With velocity now decamped to science, celerity took full control of 'the movements or actions of living beings.' See examples of it in use below. Thus it was that in 1943 velocity took off into a rapidly rising and ultimately perduring career in the world of scientific measurement. Then, in 1934, Swedish physicist Hannes Alfvén, through his work in a field of physics called magnetohydrodynamics, devised a method of speed measurement called Alfven speed, or velocity. Both words were understood to mean 'speed' and their parity lasted 109 years. Velocity was the first of the two words to appear, in 1480. The OED's definition of c elerity (top of the page) usefully delimits the word's work 'chiefly to the movements or actions of living beings.' The Webster 3 makes no specific reference to actions of living beings rather, it gives simple attention to the qualities of alacrity and speed.Ĭelerity and velocity share a history that goes back to 1834.

Celerity used in a sentence