haste
UK[heɪst]US[heɪst]
n
excessive speed or urgency of movement or action; hurry.
n
(archaic) undue eagerness to act.
Etymology
the word 'haste' entered english in the 13th century from the old french 'haste', meaning 'urgency' or 'speed'. the old french term is believed to have been borrowed from a germanic language, likely frankish, from a root akin to the old high german 'heisti', meaning 'violent' or 'impetuous'. this germanic origin connects to a deeper proto-indo-european root meaning 'strife' or 'contest', illustrating a semantic evolution from a sense of forceful struggle to one of hurried urgency. the modern english meaning retains the core idea of rushed action, though it has lost the older connotations of violence.
Analysis
the word is a simplex form. it is a loanword from old french, which itself derived from a germanic source.
Examples
in her haste to leave, she forgot her keys.
more haste, less speed.
the letter was written with great haste.