Definitions of acceleration

1. the act of accelerating; increasing the speed

2. The act of accelerating, or the state of being accelerated; increase of motion or action; as, a falling body moves toward the earth with an acceleration of velocity; - opposed to retardation.

3. The act of increasing speed; the state of being increased in speed; the rate of increase of velocity.

4. The act of hastening: increase of speed.

5. Act of quickening motion; increased speed.

6. The act of accelerating; the state of being accelerated. Acceleration of the moon, her increase of mean motion, compared with the diurnal motion of the earth, being about 10" in a hundred years. Acceleration of a planet is when its real diurnal motion exceeds its mean diurnal motion. The diurnal acceleration of the fixed stars is the time by which they, in one revolution, anticipate the mean diurnal revolution of the sun, which is nearly 3'50" of mean time sooner each day.