acceleration

 
Pronunciation: /əksɛləˈreɪʃ(ə)n/

noun

[mass noun]
  • a vehicle’s capacity to gain speed: the three-litre model has spectacular acceleration
  • increase in speed or rate: the acceleration of the industrialization process
  • Physics the rate of change of velocity per unit of time.

Origin:

late 15th century: from Latin acceleratio(n-), from accelerare 'hasten' (see accelerate)