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• Godspeed •

Pronunciation: gahd-speed • Hear it!

Part of Speech: Interjection, Noun

Meaning: 1. (Interjection) Bon voyage! May you have good luck on your journey. 2. (Noun) Success, good fortune.

Notes: This word's history left room for it to be perceived as two words: god + speed; in fact, the Oxford English Dictionary lists them as two. This provides room for a verbal use, "God speed you on your journey." This usage doesn't make sense: why should you wish someone a speedy journey, especially if they plan to take a lazy one? All will become clear in the Word History.

In Play: The nominal sense of Godspeed is brought out more clearly in such expressions as, "I wish you Godspeed in all your endeavors." Another metaphorical sense this word has taken on is "Go ahead; I'll not try to stop you": "If you think your tattoos, spiked rainbow-colored hair, and nose ring will impress Portia Carr, Godspeed!"

Word History: Today's Good Word comes from Middle English God spede (you) "may God prosper (you)". It was made up of God + spede "may (you) prosper", from Old English spedan, which comes from sped "good fortune, success". When English borrowed success from Latin, the English word spede should have gone out of fashion. Over time, sped changed to speed, while the meaning shifted from "success" to achieving a successful outcome, to "fast". This opened the gate for expressions like, "May God speed you on your way". The root that brought speden to English came to Latin as sperare "hope". There it teamed up with pro "according" to form prosperare "to prosper, (live) in accordance with your hopes". We see the same root in Russian uspex "success". (Let's all wish Aviva Derenowski in Israel Godspeed in all she does with words, for 'twas she who suggested today's Good Word.)

Eddie Izzard explored how fast godspeed is.

"Godspeed, John Glenn," Walter Cronkite's words as Glenn blasted into space and history atop an Atlas rocket, are forever branded into America's national consciousness. Certainly, I will never forget them.

(http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=5soUes2-Lr ... soUes2-LrU)

This provokes a thought: does anyone know of a resource for searching FROM a Latin word to its various evolutions and permutations into English and its daughters' languages? For instance the root word here "sperare" I am thinking appears as "spirit" in Spanish: espíritu; and probably as "esprit" in French, but I do not know how to ascertain that.

Isn't sperare "hope" in Latin, or "look for"? Spirit is "spiratus."
You can, of course, do it with multiple lexicons, but yr point is well taken.

"Godspeed, John Glenn," Walter Cronkite's words as Glenn blasted into space and history atop an Atlas rocket, are forever branded into America's national consciousness. Certainly, I will never forget them.

(http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=5soUes2-Lr ... soUes2-LrU)

Certainly I wont' forget it

Lacking the erudition of my fellow posters, and perhaps not showing that respect the Ultimate Authority is due, I awoke with the following thought: "Godspeed but get no ticket," caption of a cartoon with God , behind the wheel of an open convertible, white robes flowing, a look of divine indifference on His face, speeding by a defeated traffic cop. Rank has its privileges, I guess... If you don't hear from me again, you'll know why!

heh,heh

Or perhaps the inverse, "Godthwart" for misguided human efforts, e.g., the Edsel, New Coke, The Bay of Pigs, Rush Limbaugh, etc.
There appears to be a crying--or at least somewhat lachrymose--need for this expression.

P.S. Looks like I made it so far. No lightning strikes yet!

Lacking the erudition of my fellow posters, and perhaps not showing that respect the Ultimate Authority is due, I awoke with the following thought: "Godspeed but get no ticket," caption of a cartoon with God , behind the wheel of an open convertible, white robes flowing, a look of divine indifference on His face, speeding by a defeated traffic cop. Rank has its privileges, I guess... If you don't hear from me again, you'll know why!

Ancient one from the Internet:

The Pope, having been invited to address the United Nations, arrives in New York and is wisked away in a private limo. Unfortunately, security delays have made the Pope late for his speech and he instructs his driver to make up the delay by driving as fast as he can. Even with the driver's best efforts, the Pope knows they are still going to arrive late and insists that the driver make even better time. The driver fears for the Pope's safety and hesitates to drive any faster. Now totally frustrated, the Pope tells the driver to get in the back and let him drive.

The Pontiff takes the limo beyond known limits, making incredible turns and wildly dodges in and out of traffic in an effort to reach the United Nations in time. Six blocks from their destination a New York police officer catches up with the limo and pulls them over. Upon approaching the driver's side window and recognizing the Pope immediately, the police officer informs the Pope he was speeding and driving recklessly. The Pope explains "We are in a very big hurry to address an international audience on the most urgent of worldly matters". The officer begs the Pope's pardon and returns to his squad car to make a call to headquarters.

"Get me the chief right away!" the officer demands.

"This is the chief, what's the problem?"

"Chief, this is Roberts. I've pulled over a big shot, and I'm not so sure what to do"

"Who is it, the Mayor?" asks the chief.

"Bigger than that" says the officer.

"Don't tell me you pulled over the Governor!" asks the chief.

"Bigger than the Governor" says the officer.

"Bigger than the Governor! A Senator? A Congressman?"

"Bigger" say the officer.

"Who the hell did you pull over, the President of the United States?!" the chief asks, alarmed.

"Chief, I'm not sure who he is, but his driver is the Pope!"

+++++++++++++++++++

Another, though not papal:

A speeding motorist was caught by radar from a police helicopter in the sky.

An officer pulled him over and began to issue a traffic ticket.

"How did you know I was speeding?" the frustrated driver asked.

The police officer pointed somberly toward the sky.

"You mean," asked the motorist, "that even He is against me?"

In re MTC'S comments:
Standing inline at the Pearly Gates, a bearded guy in a white lab coat comes busting throught the crowd, through the gates, and down the street. The nearest guys asks St Pete "Who was that?" He grinned and said, "Oh that was God. He thinks he's a doctor."

The next time I need a tonic I'll know where to go--Goodword!
Very funny, Slava and Perry.

Bravo, Slava and Perry.

Yup, bravo.

Before you dis Rush Limbaugh, remember his full name is Rush Hudson Limbaugh III and he is a distant cousin of mine. Then feel free to go ahead and dis him. He inherited the Hudson temperament but, to me, he has the wrong politics. Our first American ancestor was called the most litigious man in Virginia.