Definitions

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

  • adjective Moving, acting, or occurring with great speed. synonym: fast.
  • noun An extremely fast-moving part of a river, caused by a steep descent in the riverbed.

from The Century Dictionary.

  • In photography, said of plates, lenses, and subjects which require short exposure or print rapidly.
  • Moving or doing swiftly or with celerity; acting or performing with speed; quick in motion or execution: as, a rapid horse; a rapid worker or speaker.
  • Swiftly advancing; going on or forward at a fast rate; making quick progress: as, rapid growth; rapid improvement; a rapid conflagration.
  • Marked by swiftness of motion or action; proceeding or performed with velocity; executed speedily.
  • Gay.
  • =Syn. 1–3. Fast, fleet, expeditious, hasty, hurried.
  • noun A swift current in a river, where the channel is descending; a part of a river where the current runs with more than its ordinary celerity; a sudden descent of the surface of a stream, more or less broken by obstructions, but without actual cataract or cascade: usually in the plural.

from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.

  • adjective Very swift or quick; moving with celerity; fast
  • adjective Advancing with haste or speed; speedy in progression; in quick sequence
  • adjective Quick in execution.
  • noun The part of a river where the current moves with great swiftness, but without actual waterfall or cascade; sometimes called whitewater; -- usually used in the plural.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • adjective Describes a process or concept which occurs quickly.
  • noun often in the plural a rough section of a river or stream which is difficult to navigate due to the swift and turbulent motion of the water.

from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.

  • adjective done or occurring in a brief period of time
  • adjective characterized by speed; moving with or capable of moving with high speed
  • noun a part of a river where the current is very fast

Etymologies

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition

[Latin rapidus, from rapere, to seize; see rep- in Indo-European roots.]

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

Latin rapidus

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