versnel

Versnel is a Dutch verb meaning to accelerate or speed up. It can refer to making something go faster in a physical sense, such as a vehicle or process, or to hastening a situation, project, or development. The related noun versnelling denotes acceleration or a gear in a vehicle, and the noun can also describe a rate of change or a phase of rapid development.

Etymology and forms: Versnel is from the verb versnellen, formed with the prefix ver- added to snellen (to hasten). The present tense forms are: ik versnel, jij versnelt, hij versnelt, wij versnellen, jullie versnellen, zij versnellen. The simple past tense is versnelde for all persons (ik/jij/hij versnelde, wij/jullie/zij versnelden). The past participle is versneld. The imperative form is Versnel!, used to give a direct command.

Usage: In ordinary speech, versnel is used for both concrete acceleration (a car speeding up, a runner increasing pace) and figurative speeding up (a project, a process, or the tempo of work). In technical or scientific contexts, versnellen describes acceleration due to forces or changes in speed over time. In automotive language, versnelling refers to a gear and the phrase in versnelling indicates being in a particular gear.

See also: versnelling, the gear mechanism in vehicles; versneld, the past participle meaning accelerated; versnellen, the infinitive form.