Past tense of dispatch; to send off quickly to a destination or to complete a task efficiently. Can also mean to kill or defeat decisively.
From Italian 'dispacciare' meaning 'to expedite, send off quickly' (dis- 'away' + impacciare 'to impede'). Entered English in the 16th century through French 'dépêcher'. Originally meant to free from impediment, later specialized to mean sending quickly.
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