Godspeed

Godspeed

See also: godspeed, God-speed, and God speed

English

WOTD – 31 December 2022

Alternative forms

• God-speed, God speed, godspeed, good speed

Etymology

From Middle English god spede, god speid (“(adverb) quickly, speedily; (interjection) may God cause (someone) to succeed”),[1][2] from god, God (“(Christianity) God; the Eucharist; non-Christian god or goddess; idol; deity, divine being; person or thing honoured as a god”)[2] (from Old English god (“god”), ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *ǵʰew- (“to pour”), in the sense of a libation made to a god) + sped, spede, the singular subjunctive of speden (“to achieve one’s goal; to succeed (in something); to fare, get along; to conduct oneself well; to do well, prosper, thrive; to turn out well; to be advantageous, avail; to be of benefit or useful; to assist, help; to help (someone) be successful; to do or complete (something); to travel rapidly; to progress”)[3] (from Old English spēdan (“to succeed”), ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *speh₁- (“to prosper, succeed”)).[4]

Pronunciation

• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /ˌɡɒdˈspiːd/
• (General American) IPA^(key): /ˌɡɑdˈspid/

• Audio (GA)

  (file)

• Rhymes: -iːd
• Hyphenation: God‧speed

Interjection

Godspeed

1. (literary) Used, especially at a parting, to express the wish that the outcome of the actions of a person (typically someone about to start a journey or a daring endeavour) is positive for them.

   Synonyms: all the best, (archaic) fare thee well, farewell, goodbye, good luck

   • c. 1593 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Tragedy of Richard the Third: […]”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, OCLC 606515358, [Act II, scene iii], page 184, column 2:

     3 [Citizen]. Neighbours, God ſpeed. / 1 [Citizen]. Giue you good morrovv ſir.

   • 1604, Thomas Dekker; Thomas Middleton, “The Honest Whore, […]”, in The Dramatic Works of Thomas Dekker […], volume II, London: John Pearson […], published 1873, OCLC 153881952, Act I, scene i, page 80:

     Duke. God ſpeed father. / 1. Mad[man]. God ſpeed the Plough, thou ſhalt not ſpeed me.

   • 1927, M[ohandas] K[aramchand] Gandhi, “Preparation for England”, in Mahadev Desai, transl., The Story of My Experiments with Truth: Translated from the Original in Gujarati, volume I, Ahmedabad, Gujarat: Navajivan Press, OCLC 875661731, part I, page 95:

     At the threshold of death, how dare I give you permission to go to England, to cross the seas? But I will not stand in your way. It is your mother's permission which really matters. If she permit you, then godspeed! Tell her I will not interfere. You will go with my blessings.

   • 1962 February 20, quoting Scott Carpenter, “Godspeed, John Glenn”, in USA Today‎, McLean, Va.: Gannett Co., published 8 December 2016, ISSN 0734-7456, OCLC 658972642, archived from the original on 2021-07-09:

     So all of America watched at 9:47 a.m. on Feb. 20, 1962, as [John] Glenn took off from Cape Canaveral. Scott Carpenter, backup astronaut for the mission, famously said: "Godspeed, John Glenn."

   • 2007 May 12, Peter Steinfels, “At commencement, a call for religious literacy”, in The New York Times‎, New York, N.Y.: The New York Times Company, ISSN 0362-4331, OCLC 971436363, archived from the original on 2022-11-26:

     So, class of 2007, join in. And godspeed.

   • 2008, Ron Benrey; Janet Benrey, chapter 14, in Season of Glory (Love Inspired Suspense), New York, N.Y.: Steeple Hill Books, →ISBN, page 155:

     Thanks, Gordie. May you live long and stay well, too. Godspeed.

Related terms

• God bless you
• God forbid
• godsend
• God willing

Translations

used, especially at a parting, to express the wish that the outcome of the actions of a person (typically someone about to start a journey or a daring endeavour) is positive for them

Arabic: بِالتَوْفِيق‎ (bi-t-tawfīq), فِي مَعِيَّة اللّٰه‎ (fī maʿiyya(t) allāh) Egyptian Arabic: بتوفيق‎ (betaufiʔ), ربنا معاك‎ (rabena maʕaak) Chinese: Mandarin: 一路順風／一路顺风 (zh) (yīlùshùnfēng) Dutch: ga met God, succes (nl) n Esperanto: bonan kuraĝon, bonŝancon Estonian: Õnnelikku reisi Finnish: onnea matkaan French: bonne chance (fr), bon courage (fr), que Dieu soit avec toi/vous German: viel Erfolg! Greek: καλή τύχη (kalí týchi), καλό κατευόδιο (kaló katevódio) Hebrew: בהצלחה‎ (he) (behatzlaha) Irish: go soirbhí Dia dhuit Kurdish: Northern Kurdish: oxira xêrê be (ku) Latvian: ar Dievpalīgu Lithuanian: Sudie Norwegian: Bokmål: Gud være med deg, lykke til Polish: powodzenia (pl), szczęść Boże (pl), z Bogiem (pl) Portuguese: vai com Deus Russian: пожела́ние уда́чи n (poželánije udáči), с богом (s bogom) Spanish: buena suerte, vaya con Dios Swedish: lycka till (sv) Turkish: bol şans, Selametle, Yolun açık olsun

See also

• well-wisher

Noun

Godspeed (countable and uncountable, plural Godspeeds) (literary)

1. (uncountable) The wishing of someone a smooth journey, or success, especially at a parting; (countable) a statement expressing this.
   • 1526, [William Tyndale, transl.], The Newe Testamẽt […] (Tyndale Bible), [Worms, Germany: Peter Schöffer], OCLC 762018299, 2 John:[10–11], folio ccc, recto:

     Yff there come eny vnto you and brynge not this learnynge⸝ hym receave not to houſſe: nether bid hym god ſpede. For he that biddeth hym God ſpede⸝ is part taker off his evyll dedes.

   • 1678, John Bunyan, The Pilgrim’s Progress from This World, to That which is to Come: […], London: […] Nath[aniel] Ponder […], OCLC 228725984; reprinted in The Pilgrim’s Progress (The Noel Douglas Replicas), London: Noel Douglas, […], 1928, OCLC 5190338, page 18:

     Then Chriſtian took his leave of his Friend, and he again bid him God ſpeed.

   • 1696 November (first performance), [John Vanbrugh], The Relapse; or, Virtue in Danger: […], [London]: […] Samuel Briscoe […], published 1697, OCLC 792776205, Act V, scene ii, page 90:

     Ber[inthia]. Speed her vvell. / VVor[thy]. Ay, but there muſt be more than a God ſpeed, or your Charity vvon't be vvorth a farthing.

   • 1848, Acton Bell [pseudonym; Anne Brontë], “The Warnings of Experience”, in The Tenant of Wildfell Hall. […], volume I, London: T[homas] C[autley] Newby, […], OCLC 1154915196, page 279:

     He never danced himself, and there he sat, poking his head in my face, and impressing all the beholders with the idea that he was a confirmed, acknowledged lover; my aunt looking complacently on, all the time, and wishing him God-speed.

   • 1875 January–December, Henry James, Jr., “Rowland”, in Roderick Hudson, Boston, Mass.: James R[ipley] Osgood and Company, late Ticknor & Fields, and Fields, Osgood, & Co., published 1876, OCLC 167795, page 28:

     [I]n the morning, as Rowland at the garden gate was giving his hostess Godspeed on her way to church, he came striding along the grassy margin of the road and out-whistling the music of the church bells.

   • 1884 November 1, “Thon”, in J[eanette] L[eonard] and J[oseph] B[enson] Gilder, editors, The Critic: A Literary Weekly, Critical and Eclectic, volume II, number 44, New York, N.Y.: The Good Literature Publishing Co., OCLC 56697365, page 210, column 1:

     Mr. C[harles] C[rozat] Converse's new pronoun [thon] of the singular number and common gender has met with a warm welcome from philologists and the press. […] The new word has received a number of godspeeds, some of which we quote.

   • 1914 June, James Joyce, “A Little Cloud”, in Dubliners, London: Grant Richards, OCLC 1170255194, page 84:

     Eight years before he had seen his friend off at the North Wall and wished him godspeed.

2. (countable, figuratively)
   1. (archaic) Chiefly in in the Godspeed of: the most important part of something, or point at which something happens; also, the last minute or last moment.
      • 1667, Francisco de Quevedo Villegas, “The Sixth Vision of Hell”, in R[oger] L[’Estrange], transl., The Visions of Dom Francisco de Quevedo Villegas, […], London: […] H[enry] Herringman […], OCLC 228725377, page 247:

        But a Devil came in juſt in the God-ſpeed, and told them; Gentlemen Philoſophers, (ſays he) if you vvould knovv the VVretched'ſt, and moſt contemptible thing in the VVorld; It is an Alchymiſt: […]

      • 1688, Roger L’Estrange, “Bedloe and Prance Swore to the Plot as well as to the Murther”, in A Brief History of the Times, &c. Part III. Treating of the Death of Sir E[dmund] B[erry] Godfrey, London: […] R. Sare, […], OCLC 4334672816, part I, page 19:

        But juſt in the Godſpeed, the Plot vvas Diſcover'd.

      • 1941, Flora Thompson, “‘A Bit of a Tell’”, in Lark Rise to Candleford: A Trilogy, London: Penguin Books, published 1945 (1973 printing), →ISBN, page 291:

        I udn't mind seeing her come in when I was in the godspeed of washday, and that's saying something.

        Originally published in Over to Candleford (1941).

   2. (originally Ireland) In back of Godspeed: a distant, remote, or unknown place.

      Synonym: back of beyond

      • 1858, Anthony Trollope, “Frank Gresham’s First Speech”, in Doctor Thorne. […], volume I, London: Chapman & Hall, […], OCLC 458393990, page 124:

        If I don't leave you at the back of God-speed before long, I'll give you the mare and the horse too.

      • 1908 (date written)​, [George] Bernard Shaw, “Getting Married”, in The Doctor’s Dilemma, Getting Married, & The Shewing-Up of Blanco Posnet, London: Constable and Company, published 1911, OCLC 1475649, page 278:

        mrs george. I have earned the right to speak. I have dared: I have gone through: I have not fallen withered into the fire: I have come at last out beyond, to the back of Godspeed. / the bishop. And what do you see there, at the back of Godspeed?

Translations

wishing of someone a speedy journey, or success, especially at a parting; a statement expressing this

Finnish: onnentoivotus

most important part of something, or point at which something happens

Finnish: käännekohta (fi), kohokohta (fi)

last minute or last moment — see last minute

References

1. “gọ̄d spẹ̄de, gọ̄̆d-spẹ̄de, phr. & n.”, in MED Online, Ann Arbor, Mich.: University of Michigan, 2007.
2. “[god] spede” under “God, god, n.(1)”, in MED Online, Ann Arbor, Mich.: University of Michigan, 2007.
3. “spẹ̄den, v.”, in MED Online, Ann Arbor, Mich.: University of Michigan, 2007.
4. Compare “Godspeed, n.”, in OED Online ⁠, Oxford, Oxfordshire: Oxford University Press, December 2022; “Godspeed, excl.”, in Lexico, Dictionary.com; Oxford University Press, 2019–2022.

Further reading

• Godspeed (disambiguation) on Wikipedia.Wikipedia