velocity
nounUK /vəˈlɒsəti/ · US /vəˈlɑsəti/
Etymology From Middle French vélocité, from Latin vēlōcitās (“speed”), from vēlōx (“fast”), thus a doublet of veloce.
1
Natural sciences, Physical sciences, Physics A vector quantity that denotes the rate of change of position with respect to time, combining speed with a directional component.
- A car racing in a circle may retain the same speed while continually changing its velocity.
- Usually, however, confluence is associated with an increase in air velocity and diffluence with a decrease. In the intermediate case, confluence is balanced by an increase in wind velocity and diffluence by a decrease in velocity.2004, Roger Barry, Richard Chorley, Roger G. Barry, Atmosphere, Weather and Climate, page 118:
3 more examples
- Such angular distances imply undecelerated ejecta knot transverse velocities of 15,600 and 12,700 km/s respectively, assuming an explosion date ~1670 AD and a distance of 3.4 kpc.2015, Robert A. Fesen, Dan Milisavljevic, “An HST Survey of the Highest-Velocity Ejecta in Cassiopeia A”, in arXiv:
- When an ultrasonic beam is fired at the microcannons, the emulsion evaporates, expanding rapidly into gas. This creates enough force to push the nanobullets out at velocities reaching several metres per second.2016 February 1, Tom Whipple, “Microcannon firing nanobullets: the future of targeted medicine”, in The Times:
- By combining the data from multiple telescopes, astronomers determined the star’s position and velocity in space, allowing them to predict that it will exit the Milky Way at some point.2024 August 21, Ashley Strickland, “An unusual object is moving so fast it could escape the Milky Way. Scientists aren’t certain what it is”, in CNN:
2
A rapidity of motion.
- The train was travelling at a slower velocity than usual.
- Over the winter-solid Roads, goes a great seething,— of mounted younger Gentlemen riding together by the dozens upon rented horses, Express Messengers in love with pure Velocity, Disgruntl'd Suitors with Pistols stuff'd in their Spatterdashes, seal'd Waggons not even a western Black-Boy would think of detaining.1997, Thomas Pynchon, chapter 39, in Mason & Dixon, 1st US edition, New York: Henry Holt and Company, →ISBN, part Two: America, page 395:
3
The rate of occurrence.
4
Economics, Sciences The number of times that an average unit of currency is spent during a specific period of time.
5
The value corresponding to how hard a key is struck on a MIDI controller or keyboard.
Music hardware and software
- Synonyms
- speed
- Derived terms
- constant velocity, four-velocity, root mean square velocity, velocimeter, velocity curve, velocity dispersion, velocity potential
- Hyponyms
25 terms
angular velocity, escape velocity, exhaust velocity, exit velocity, first cosmic velocity, group velocity, high-velocity, hypervelocity, information velocity, instantaneous velocity, intermediate-velocity, low-velocity, muzzle velocity, orbital velocity, peculiar velocity, phase velocity, Planck velocity, radial velocity, second cosmic velocity, space velocity, supervelocity, tangential velocity, terminal velocity, third cosmic velocity, ultravelocity