What Does “Godspeed” Mean and Where Did the Phrase Come From?

The word Godspeed has nothing to do with haste.

The archaic meaning of the word speed, as used in this case, meant succeed or prosper.

Just as goodbye came from “God be with you,” Godspeed is an abbreviation of “May God speed you” and was first heard in the late fifteenth century.

A modern translation might be “May God grant you success.”