rapid-release
|rap-id-re-lease|
/ˌræpɪd rɪˈliːs/
quick letting-go / swift discharge
Etymology
'rapid-release' is a compound formed from the adjective 'rapid' and the verb/noun 'release'. 'rapid' originates from Latin, specifically the word 'rapidus', where the root (from Latin 'rapere') meant 'to seize, hurry'. 'release' originates from Old French/Anglo-French (Middle English reless(e)/release) ultimately from Latin 'relaxare', where the prefix 're-' meant 'again' or 'back' and 'laxare' meant 'to loosen.'
'rapid' came into English via Old French/Middle English from Latin 'rapidus' (literally 'rushing, seizing') and became the modern adjective 'rapid'. 'release' passed from Latin 'relaxare' into Old French forms and Middle English as 'relese/release', developing into the modern English verb/noun 'release'. The compound 'rapid-release' is a modern English compound formed by combining those two words to describe quick release.
Initially 'rapid' in Latin carried senses related to seizing and rushing; over time it narrowed to the modern sense of 'swift' or 'quick'. 'Release' originally meant 'to loosen' (literally to make lax) and evolved into the sense 'to set free' or 'let go'; combined, 'rapid-release' now conveys the idea of 'quick letting go' or 'swift discharge.'
Meanings by Part of Speech
Noun 1
an instance or process of releasing something quickly (e.g., a rapid release of pressure or energy).
A rapid-release of steam from the valve prevented a pressure buildup.
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Adjective 1
designed or occurring to release quickly; releasing (or that causes release) in a short time.
The rapid-release formulation allows the drug to act within minutes.
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Last updated: 2025/10/25 17:49