Dispatch
Dispatch (?; 224) , transitive verb
[Old French despeechier, French dépêcher; prob. from pref. des- (Latin dis-) + (assumed) Late Latin pedicare to place obstacles in the way, from Latin pedica fetter, from pes, pedis, foot. See Foot, and compare Impeach, Despatch.]
1.
To dispose of speedily, as business; to execute quickly; to make a speedy end of; to finish; to perform.
Ere we put ourselves in arms, dispatch we
The business we have talked of.
[The] harvest men... almost in one fair day dispatcheth all the harvest work.
2.
To rid; to free. [Obsolete]
I had clean dispatched myself of this great charge.
3.
To get rid of by sending off; to send away hastily.
Unless dispatched to the mansion house in the country... they perish among the lumber of garrets.
4.
To send off or away; -- particularly applied to sending off messengers, messages, letters, etc., on special business, and implying haste.
Even with the speediest expedition
I will dispatch him to the emperor's cou{not transcribed}.
5.
To send out of the world; to put to death.
The company shall stone them with stones, and dispatch them with their swords.
Dispatch , intransitive verb
To make haste; to conclude an affair; to finish a matter of business.
They have dispatched with Pompey.
Dispatch , noun
[Compare Old French despeche, French dépêche. See Dispatch, transitive verb]
1.
The act of sending a message or messenger in haste or on important business.
2.
Any sending away; dismissal; riddance.
To the utter dispatch of all their most beloved comforts.
3.
The finishing up of a business; speedy performance, as of business; prompt execution; diligence; haste.
Serious business, craving quick dispatch.
To carry his scythe... with a sufficient dispatch through a sufficient space.
4.
A message dispatched or sent with speed; especially, an important official letter sent from one public officer to another; -- often used in the plural; as, a messenger has arrived with dispatches for the American minister; naval or military dispatches.
5.
A message transmitted by telegraph. [Modern]
Collocations (2)
Dispatch boat , a swift vessel for conveying dispatches; an advice boat.
Dispatch box , a box for carrying dispatches; a box for papers and other conveniences when traveling.