dispatch

dispatch
\ \ [16] Dispatch appears to have been borrowed from Spanish despacharexpedite’, but its ultimate origins are not clear. The likeliest source of the Spanish word is Old French despeechierset free’ (source of modern French dépêcherhurry’), a compound verb formed from the prefix des- ‘un-’ and the verbal element -peechierimpede, hinder’, which is also represented in English impeach and goes back ultimately to Latin pedicashackle’. The semantic history of dispatch thus appears to be ‘unshackle’, ‘set free’, ‘send away, get rid of’, and hence (with the notion of ‘freeing from restraint’) ‘send away quickly’. (The currency of the alternative spelling despatch is due to its occurrence in Dr Johnson’s Dictionary 1755.)
\ \ Cf.IMPEACH

Word origins - 2ed. . 2005.

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  • Dispatch EP — EP by Dispatch Released May 17, 2011 Recorded …   Wikipedia

  • dispatch — di‧spatch [dɪˈspætʆ] also despatch verb [transitive] TRANSPORT to send something or someone to a place: • Manufacturers dispatch vials of vaccine in large, insulated cartons. • A rescue team was dispatched to the mountain …   Financial and business terms

  • Dispatch — Dis*patch , n. [Cf. OF. despeche, F. d[ e]p[^e]che. See {Dispatch}, v. t.] [Written also {despatch}.] 1. The act of sending a message or messenger in haste or on important business. [1913 Webster] 2. Any sending away; dismissal; riddance. [1913… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • Dispatch — or dispatches may refer to: In literature Dispatches (book), a 1977 book by Michael Herr about the Vietnam War dispatches (magazine), a magazine edited by Gary Knight and Mort Rosenblum In radio and television Dispatches (radio program), a… …   Wikipedia

  • dispatch — [n1] speed in carrying out action alacrity, celerity, expedition, expeditiousness, haste, hurry, hustle, precipitateness, promptitude, promptness, quickness, rapidity, rustle, speediness, swiftness; concepts 755,818 Ant. retention, slowing… …   New thesaurus

  • Dispatch — Dis*patch (?; 224), v. t. [imp. & p. p. {Dispatched}; p. pr. & vb. n. {Dispatching}.] [OF. despeechier, F. d[ e]p[^e]cher; prob. from pref. des (L. dis ) + (assumed) LL. pedicare to place obstacles in the way, fr. L. pedica fetter, fr. pes, pedis …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • dispatch — I (act of putting to death) noun act of killing, act of slaying, assassination, bloodshed, death by violence, deathblow, destruction, disposal, doing away with, execution, extermination, homicide, killing, liquidation, massacre, murder II… …   Law dictionary

  • dispatch — (v.) 1510s, to send off in a hurry, from a word in Spanish (despachar expedite, hasten ) or Italian (dispacciare to dispatch ). For first element, see DIS (Cf. dis ). The exact source of the second element has been proposed as V.L. *pactare to… …   Etymology dictionary

  • dispatch — vb 1 *send, forward, transmit, remit, route, ship Analogous words: hasten, quicken, *speed 2 *kill, slay, murder, assassinate, execute dispatch n 1 speed, expedition, * …   New Dictionary of Synonyms

  • dispatch — (also despatch) ► VERB 1) send off to a destination or for a purpose. 2) deal with (a task or problem) quickly and efficiently. 3) kill. ► NOUN 1) the action or an instance of dispatching. 2) an official report on the latest situation in state or …   English terms dictionary

  • Dispatch — Dis*patch , v. i. To make haste; to conclude an affair; to finish a matter of business. [1913 Webster] They have dispatched with Pompey. Shak. [1913 Webster] …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

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