festinate

verb

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fes·ti·nate | \ ˈfe-stə-ˌnāt

festinated; festinating

Definition of festinate

(Entry 1 of 2)

: hasten

festinate

adjective

fes·ti·nate | \ ˈfe-stə-nət

, -ˌnāt \

Definition of festinate (Entry 2 of 2)

: hasty a most festinate preparation— William Shakespeare

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Did You Know?

Adjective

Festinate is one among many in the category of words whose first recorded use is in the works of Shakespeare ("Advise the Duke where you are going, to a most festinate preparation." - King Lear, III.vii.10). Perhaps the Bard knew about "festinatus," the Latin predecessor of "festinate," or was familiar with the Latin proverb festina lente-"make haste slowly." Shakespeare also gets credit for the adverb "festinately" (first seen in Love’s Labour’s Lost, III.i.6: "Bring him festinately hither."), but another writer beat him to the verb "festinate" (pronounced \FESS-tuh-nayt), meaning "to hasten."