dispatch
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[edit] English
[edit] Alternative forms
- despatch (UK, Australia)
[edit] Etymology
The etymology of the word is uncertain. It is connected to the French dépêcher and dépêche which are in meaning equivalents to this word. The French words are made up of the prefix dés- (Lat. dis-) and the root of empêcher (Lat. impedicare, composed from prefix in- and pedica) translated as 'to refrain', 'to stop'. The French word came into English as "depeach", which was in use from the 15th century until "despatch" was introduced. This word is direct from the Italian dispacciare, or Spanish despachar, which must be derived from the Lat. root appearing in pactus (the perfect passive infinitive of the verb pangere) meaning fixed, fastened. The New English Dictionary finds the earliest instance of dispatch letter to Henry VIII. from Bishop Tunstall, commissioner to Spain in 1516–1517.
[edit] Pronunciation
- (Australia) IPA: /dəˈspætʃ/
- (RP) IPA: /dɪˈspætʃ/
- (US) IPA: /dɪˈspætʃ/
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Audio (US) (file) - Rhymes: -ætʃ
[edit] Verb
dispatch (third-person singular simple present dispatches, present participle dispatching, simple past and past participle dispatched)
- To send a shipment with promptness.
- To send an important official message sent by a diplomat or military officer with promptness
- To hurry
- (obsolete) To deprive.
- To destroy quickly and efficiently
- (computing) To pass on for further processing, especially via a dispatch table (computing, often with to)
[edit] Synonyms
[edit] Translations
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[edit] Noun
dispatch (plural dispatches)
- A message sent quickly, as a shipment, a prompt settlement of a business, or an important official message sent by a diplomat, or military officer.
- The act of getting rid of something quickly
- A mission by an emergency response service, typically attend to an emergency in the field.
- (obsolete) A dismissal.
[edit] Translations
- The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables, removing any numbers. Numbers do not necessarily match those in definitions. See instructions at Help:How to check translations.
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