Godspeed
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Origin
Middle English god speid, from the phrase God spede you God prosper you
Definitions
- 1: : to utter the words ‘God speed (you)’; esp. to express a wish for the success of one who is setting out on some journey or enterprise.
- 1526 Bible (Tyndale) 2 John 10 Yf ther come eny vnto you and bringe not this learninge him receave not to housse: neither bid him God spede.
- 1597 Shakespeare Richard II i. iv. 31 A brace of draimen bid, God speed him wel.
- 1776 J. Wesley Wks. (1872) IV. 76 Every one seems to bid us God-speed!
- 2: a. the Godspeed (of a thing), the conclusion, finish. Also, in the Godspeed, in the nick of time. Obsolete
- b. in God-speed dinner, God-speed party. (Cf. farewell)
- 1867 Athenæum 26 Oct. 539/1 Lord Lytton will preside at a Godspeed dinner to be given to Mr. Charles Dickens, on Saturday, next week, November 2.
- 1887 T. A. Trollope What I Remember II. vii. 127, I went, and the God-speed party was a very pleasant one.
- 3: at the back of God-speed = at the back of beyond
- 1858 Trollope Dr. Thorne (1859) v. 63, If I don't leave you at the back of God-speed before long, I'll give you the mare and the horse too.
Description
Godspeed or God Speed comes from the Middle English expression "God spede (you)", a wish for success and fortune for one setting out on an enterprise, voyage, adventure, or travels. It may also mean good luck.