pace

pace¹ step

Pronunciation

• IPA: /peɪs/^[1]

Etymology

It is inherited from Middle English pas, borrowed from Old French pas (“step, pace”) and directly from Latin passus (“step, stride”),^[2][3][4] literally “a stretch of the leg”, a noun use of the past participle of pandere (“to stretch, spread out”),^[2][4][5] which Watkins traces to Proto-Indo-European *pete- (“to spread”).^[2] It is related to pass, passage and expand.^[6][3]

Earliest recorded meaning

A way of life or course of action: about 1280 in Barnhart.^[3] A step in walking, the late 13th century in Etymonline.^[2]

Semantic evolution

In early use it could also mean a journey or route.^[6] Manner of walking, gait, is from 1297, and speed from before 1300.^[7][3] The distance covered by one step, a measure of length, is from 1382.^[7][2] Put through one's paces, from horse-riding, is from the mid-18th century.^[6] The verb, to walk with regular steps, is from the 1510s,^[2][3] to measure by pacing from the 1570s,^[2] and to set the pace for another from 1886.^[2] A change of pace, in the sense of tempo, is from the 1950s, and pace yourself from the 1970s.^[6]

Timeline

• c. 1280 – a course of action.^[3]
• 1297 – a manner of walking.^[7]
• 1382 – a measure of distance.^[7]
• 1510s – the verb.^[2]
• 1886 – to set the pace.^[2]

Modern meaning

Noun

1. The speed at which someone or something moves or happens.
2. A single step in walking, or the length of one step.
3. A manner of walking or running; a gait.

Verb

1. To walk back and forth, especially when worried.
2. To measure a distance by counting steps.
3. To set the speed for someone, or to spread one's effort over time.

pace² with due respect to

Pronunciation

• IPA: /ˈpeɪ.si/, /ˈpɑː.tʃeɪ/, /ˈpɑː.keɪ/^[1]

Etymology

The preposition is borrowed from Latin pāce, the ablative of pāx (“peace”), as in pāce tuā “by your leave”,^[2][4][5] from Proto-Indo-European *pag- (“to fasten”).^[2] See peace.^[8]

Earliest recorded meaning

With due respect to someone named: 1863 in Etymonline and MWU,^[2][8] while the SOED dates it to the late 18th century.^[5]

Semantic evolution

It is used chiefly as a courteous or ironical apology for disagreeing with someone.^[2][5] It is sometimes misused as though it meant “according to”, the opposite of its sense.^[2]

Timeline

• 1863 – with due respect to.^[2][8]

Modern meaning

Preposition

1. (formal) With due respect to someone, used when disagreeing with them.

Related words

• pass
• passage
• passenger
• expand
• pacemaker

Usage notes

Pace, Easter, as in pace egg, is a Scottish and northern variant of pasch.^[5][8]

References

1. ^ a b Jones, Daniel (2011), Cambridge English Pronouncing Dictionary, 18th ed., ed. Peter Roach, Jane Setter and John Esling, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press
2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
3. ^ a b c d e f Barnhart, Robert K. (1988), The Barnhart Dictionary of Etymology
4. ^ a b c Hoad, T. F., ed. (1986), The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology, Oxford: Clarendon Press
5. ^ a b c d e Shorter Oxford English Dictionary on Historical Principles (2002), 5th ed., ed. William R. Trumble and Angus Stevenson, Oxford: Oxford University Press
6. ^ a b c d Cresswell, Julia (2021), Oxford Dictionary of Word Origins, 3rd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press
7. ^ a b c d Simpson, J. A.; Weiner, E. S. C., eds. (1989), The Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Clarendon Press
8. ^ a b c d Merriam-Webster Unabridged Dictionary (2024), online ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster