Definition of HASTE

haste

Plural: hastes

Noun

  • overly eager speed (and possible carelessness)
    • "he soon regretted his haste"
  • the act of moving hurriedly and in a careless manner
    • "in his haste to leave he forgot his book"
  • a condition of urgency making it necessary to hurry
  • Speed; swiftness; dispatch.
  • Urgency; sudden excitement of feeling or passion; precipitance; vehemence.

Verb

Verb Forms: hasted, hasting, hastes

  • To hurry or act with excessive speed.
  • To urge onward; to hasten.
  • To move with haste.

Examples

  • In a moment of HASTE, she played a short word, missing a longer, higher-scoring opportunity.
  • We were running late so we finished our meal in haste.

Origin / Etymology

Blend of Middle English hasten (verb), (compare Dutch haasten, German hasten, Danish haste, Swedish hasta (“to hasten, rush”)) and Middle English hast (“haste”, noun), from Old French haste (whence French hâte), from Old Frankish *hai(f)st (“violence”), from Proto-Germanic *haifstiz (“struggle, conflict”), from Proto-Indo-European *ḱeyp- (“to ridicule, mock, anger”). Akin to Old Frisian hāst, hāste (“haste”), Old English hǣst (“violence”), Old English hǣste (“violent, impetuous, vehement”, adjective), Old Norse heift /heipt (“feud”), Gothic 𐌷𐌰𐌹𐍆𐍃𐍄𐍃 (haifsts, “rivalry”). Cognate with German heftig (“vehement”) and Danish heftig (“vehement”).

Scrabble Score: 8

haste: valid Scrabble (US) TWL Word
haste: valid Scrabble Word in Merriam-Webster MW Dictionary
haste: valid Scrabble Word in International Collins CSW Dictionary

Words With Friends Score: 7

haste: valid Words With Friends Word