pace

B1 Topic:General Vocabulary

US /peɪs/ UK /peɪs/ See IPA manual

Freq #5122

Meanings

1

noun
The speed at which something happens or moves.

I prefer to live at a slow pace in the countryside.
2

noun
A single step, or the distance covered by one step.

I stepped off ten paces from the old tree and began to dig.
3

verb
To walk back and forth, especially because you are worried or impatient.

He paced up and down the hall while he waited for the results.

Verb forms

Verb forms are not available for this word yet.

Thesaurus

Synonyms

1 noun · the speed at which... rate speed

2 noun · a single step, or the... step

Word family

Forms pacedpacespacing

Derived forms cinque-pacefootpacehalfpacemispaceoutpacepace-setterpace-settingpaceboardpacelinepacemakerpacemakingpaceman

Appears in

Phrases (2)

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Proverbs (1)

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Requiescat in pace

Simplified etymology

Pace entered Middle English through Old French pas from Latin passus “stretch of the leg.” Early uses referred both to a step and to a journey or route; its sense of “tempo,” as in change of pace, dates from the 1950s.

Etymology

From Middle English pase, from Anglo-Norman pas, Old French pas, and their source, Latin passus. Doublet of pas and fathom; compare also pass. Cognate with Spanish pasear.

*peth₂- Proto-Indo-European pase Middle English pas Old French passus Latin

View etymology graph ->

Topics

General Vocabulary

External links

# pace

**Type:** Word
**Level:** B1
**Part of speech:** noun, verb
**IPA (US):** /peɪs/
**IPA (UK):** /peɪs/
**Frequency rank:** 5122

## Meanings
1. The speed at which something happens or moves.
2. A single step, or the distance covered by one step.
3. To walk back and forth, especially because you are worried or impatient.

## Examples
- I prefer to live at a slow pace in the countryside.
- I stepped off ten paces from the old tree and began to dig.
- He paced up and down the hall while he waited for the results.

## Derived Forms
- cinque-pace
- footpace
- halfpace
- mispace
- outpace
- pace-setter
- pace-setting
- paceboard
- paceline
- pacemaker
- pacemaking
- paceman

## Roots and Affixes
- Root: *peth₂-
- Root: pase
- Root: pas
- Root: passus

## Etymology
From Middle English pase, from Anglo-Norman pas, Old French pas, and their source, Latin passus. Doublet of pas and fathom; compare also pass. Cognate with Spanish pasear.

## AI Etymology
Pace comes from Middle English pase, from Anglo-Norman pas, Old French pas, and their source, Latin passus. Doublet of pas and fathom; compare also pass. Cognate with Spanish pasear. The historical chain includes Proto-Indo-European *peth₂-, Middle English pase, xno pas, Old French pas, and Latin passus. Modern senses include the speed at which something happens or moves and a single step, or the distance covered by one step. The wider word family includes derivatives such as cinque-pace, footpace, halfpace, mispace, outpace, and pace-setter.

## Topics
- General Vocabulary

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