喜樂美語

核心畫面

Your foot presses down on the pedal and the car keeps getting faster — not fast, but faster, second by second. The key is that this word is about the change in speed, not the speed itself. Something already moving is now covering more ground each moment than it did the moment before.

腳踩下油門，車子一秒比一秒快。重點不在「很快」，而在「愈來愈快」——這個字描述的是速度的變化，不是速度本身。原本已經…更多收起腳踩下油門，車子一秒比一秒快。重點不在「很快」，而在「愈來愈快」——這個字描述的是速度的變化，不是速度本身。原本已經在動的東西，現在每一刻走的距離都比前一刻多。所以用這個字時，心裡要有兩個時間點在比較：剛才是那個速度，現在更快了，而且還在往上加。慢慢跑的人也可以 accelerate，飛快的車如果維持等速反而不算。

From the word’s history

From Latin accelerare, from ad- "towards" + celer "swift" (the same celer behind celerity). Literally "to move towards swiftness" — not "to be swift", but to head in the direction of swiftness, which is exactly the getting-faster picture the modern word keeps.

來自拉丁文 accelerare，由 ad-（朝向）+ celer（快速的；celerity 同源）組成，字面是「朝快的方向去」。注意不是「快」，是「往快的方向移動」——這個 ad- 帶來的方向感，正好就是現代 accelerate 的核心：不是描述一個速度值，而是描述往上加的那個過程。

Wiktionary etymology tree supplied with this entry (Latin ad- + celer → accelerare)

Two branches

車輛加速

這是最具體、最看得見的加速：真的有東西在路上愈跑愈快。

speed up (vehicle) · verb · C1

To start moving at a higher speed — used about a car, bus, or other vehicle, or about the person driving it.

加速

過程加快

把踩油門的畫面從馬路搬到抽象的事情上：跑的不是車，是一件正在進行的變化。

happen faster · verb · C1

To happen more quickly than usual, or to make a change or process happen more quickly or sooner than people expected.

加速

原始詞典資料8 筆記錄

以下是外部詞典記錄的用法，原文照列，我們還沒有寫成教學內容。上面的說明才是我們自己寫的；有些用法可能上面已經講過了。

accelerateverb/əkˈsɛl.əˌɹeɪt/

  • 1

    To cause to move faster; to quicken the motion of; to add to the speed of.

  • 2

    To quicken the natural or ordinary progression or process of.

    • to accelerate the growth of a plant, the increase of wealth, etc.
    • The company plans to accelerate its growth with new marketing strategies.
  • 3

    natural-sciencesphysical-sciencesphysicsTo cause a change of velocity.

  • 4

    To hasten, as the occurrence of an event.

    • to accelerate our departure
  • 5

    educationTo enable a student to finish a course of study in less than normal time.

  • 6

    To become faster; to begin to move more quickly.

    • The car began to accelerate as soon as the light turned green.
  • 7

    Grow; increase.

accelerateadj/əkˈsɛl.əˌɹeɪt/

  • 1

    archaicAccelerated; quickened; hastened; hurried.

    • ... a general knowledg of the definition of motion, and of the distinction of natural and violent, even and accelerate, and the like, sufficing.

資料來源：英文維基詞典 English Wiktionary（CC BY-SA 4.0）。 原文照列，未經改寫。