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vitesse

speed

noun vee-TESS Less Common
Travel & Places Transportation

Also means

gear (vehicle)

Usage Note

Vitesse is the everyday word for both rate of movement and a car's gear setting — passer la vitesse means to shift gear. The idiom à toute vitesse ('at full speed') is extremely common in both speech and writing. The adjective rapide often pairs with it.

Examples

"Il roule à grande vitesse sur l'autoroute."

Natural Translation

He drives at high speed on the highway.

Literal Translation

He rolls at great speed on the-highway

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