Where does “dispatch” come from?

Dispatch comes from Old French despechier, which originally meant to remove obstacles or impediments.

dispatch (English): To send with promptness; To send away hastily;...

Definitions

  1. To send with promptness; To send away hastily;...

Ancestry of “dispatch”, step by step

dispatch traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.

via Spanish despachar

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Spanishdespacharto complete; to send or ship; to attend or serve
2Old Frenchdespechier—

via Italian dispacciare

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Italiandispacciare—
2Franco-Provençaldespachar—

Words derived from “dispatch”

Every word from Old French despechier →Every word from Spanish despachar →