Past tense of dispatch, meaning sent off quickly to a destination or dealt with efficiently and quickly. Can also mean killed swiftly.
From Italian dispacciare meaning 'to expedite,' from dis- (away) plus the root of impacciare (to impede). The spelling 'despatch' represents the older French-influenced form, while 'dispatch' reflects later direct borrowing from Italian.
The dual spelling of dispatch/despatch reveals the messy reality of how English absorbed words from multiple languages - both forms coexisted for centuries before 'dispatch' became standard in American English while 'despatch' lingered longer in British usage. The word's evolution from 'removing impediments' to 'sending quickly' shows how meanings can shift while maintaining their essential logic.
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