different between speedy vs effective

English

Etymology

From Middle English spedy, spedi, from Old English sp?di? (“having good speed, lucky, prosperous; having means, wealthy, opulent, rich in material wealth; rich in, abounding in, abundant, plenteous, copious; powerful”), from Proto-Germanic *sp?digaz (“successful, hurried”), equivalent to speed +? -y. Cognate with Scots spedie (“speedy”), Dutch spoedig (“speedy, swift, rapid, quick”), German sputig, spudig (“industrious, speedy”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /?spi?di/
• Rhymes: -i?di

Adjective

speedy (comparative speedier, superlative speediest)

1. rapid; swift

Synonyms

• fast, swift, quick, rapid
• See also Thesaurus:speedy

Derived terms

Translations

Verb

speedy (third-person singular simple present speedies, present participle speedying, simple past and past participle speedied)

1. (transitive) to process in a faster than normal, accelerated way
   • 1647, {uncredited}, Journals of the House of Lords - Volume 10 - Page 389

     " […] the Treaty between the King and the Parliament may be speedied; and that Care may be taken, to prevent the casting of the Two Kingdoms into War and Blood."

   • 1871, The Mauritius Reports (page 46)

     […] for the purpose of proceeding to the immediate sale of the goods under seizure, with the view of speedying the exercise of their rights on the proceeds of the sale of the goods seized.

2. (transitive, Wiktionary and WMF jargon) to apply the speedy rule in an online community (often the deletion rule); speedy delete

   The guy is *not* so obviously insignificant that speedying him is appropriate.

Synonyms

• speed up
• speedy delete

English

Etymology

From French effectif, from Latin effect?vus (“productive; effective”), from effici? (“I make; I bring about”).

Pronunciation

• (weak vowel distinction) IPA^(key): /??f?kt?v/
• (weak vowel merger) IPA^(key): /??f?kt?v/
• Rhymes: -?kt?v

Adjective

effective (comparative more effective, superlative most effective)

1. Having the power to produce a required effect or effects.

   Synonym: efficacious

2. Producing a decided or decisive effect.
   • 1650, Jeremy Taylor, The Rule and Exercises of Holy Living

     Whosoever is an effective, real cause of doing his neighbour wrong, is criminal.

3. Efficient, serviceable, or operative, available for useful work.

4. Actually in effect.

5. (geometry, of a cycle or divisor) Having no negative coefficients.
6. (physics, for any effective theory) approximate; Not describing the fundamental dynamic changes in some system as they happen.

Usage notes

Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary from 1913 still lists efficient and effective as synonyms, but all major dictionaries now show that these words now only have different meanings in careful use. Use of both for the other meaning is however widespread enough that Longman's Exam Dictionary, for example, finds it necessary to proscribe the use of one for the other with several examples at each entry and provides the following summary:

• efficient = working quickly and without waste
• effective = having the desired effect

Related terms

Translations

Noun

effective (plural effectives)

1. (military) a soldier fit for duty
   • 1876, Dabney Herndon Maury, Southern Historical Society Papers: Volume 2, Number 4, Recollections of the Elkhorn Campaign:

     The Army of the West reached Corinth sometime after the battle of Shiloh. We were 15,000 effectives, and brought Beauregard's effective force up to 45,000 men.

French

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /e.f?k.tiv/
• Homophone: effectives

Adjective

effective

1. feminine singular of effectif

Latin

Adjective

effect?ve

1. vocative masculine singular of effect?vus