festinate

verb fes·ti·nate \ ˈfe-stə-ˌnāt \

Editor's Note: Did You Know?

Definition of festinate

festinated; festinating

: hasten

First Known Use of festinate

1596

in the meaning defined above

See Words from the same year

NEW! Time Traveler

festinate

adjective fes·ti·nate \ ˈfe-stə-nət , -ˌnāt \

Definition of festinate

: hasty

a most festinate preparation
—William Shakespeare

—

festinately

adverb

Did You Know?

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."