off-speed
UK[ˌɒf ˈspiːd]US[ˌɔːf ˈspiːd]
adj
(of a pitch in baseball) thrown at a slower speed than a pitcher's typical fastball, intended to deceive the batter.
adj
(general) moving or operating at a reduced or non-standard speed.
Morpheme Breakdown
off
speed
off
away from
speed
rate of motion
Etymology
The compound adjective "off-speed" is a modern formation from core Germanic elements. "Off," with its fundamental sense of separation or deviation, combines with "speed," which evolved from Old English 'spēd' (meaning success, power, and later swiftness) to specifically denote velocity. The term's logic is transparent: it describes something that is "off" the expected or standard "speed." This is most concretely realized in baseball jargon for a pitch deliberately thrown slower than a batter anticipates, a tactical deviation from the norm. The word's formation follows a common English pattern of creating descriptive compounds where "off-" prefixes indicate a departure from the quality named by the root noun.
Analysis
Structure: off (away from) + speed (rate of motion)
- off: Old English origin, from 'of', meaning "away, away from, from, off."
- speed: Old English origin, from 'spēd', meaning "success, prosperity, quickness, rate of motion."
Examples
The pitcher's most effective pitch was his off-speed curveball.
For safety, the machinery runs at an off-speed during the testing phase.
He adjusted his swing to better hit off-speed pitches.