Etymology

acceleration

ac·ce·le·ra·tion
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Today it means: The act of accelerating, or the state of being accelerated; increase of motion or action; as opposed to retardation or deceleration. Full definition →

Latin accelerātiō ← Proto-Indo-European *kel- ← Proto-Italic *ad-
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The story

  1. Proto-Indo-European*h₂éd
  2. Proto-Italic*ad
  3. Proto-Italic*ad-
  4. Latinad-
  5. Proto-Indo-European*kel-
  6. Latinceler
  7. Latincelerō
  8. Latinaccelerō
  9. Latinaccelerātiō
  10. English todayacceleration

First attested in 1531. From French accélération or more likely directly from Latin accelerātiō (“a hastening, acceleration”). Equivalent to accelerate + -ion.

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.