fleet¹ (flēt)
n.

1. A number of warships operating together under one command.
2. A group of vessels or vehicles, such as taxicabs or fishing boats, owned or operated as a unit.

[Middle English flete, from Old English flēot, from flēotan, to float.]

fleet² (flēt)
adj., fleet·er, fleet·est.

1. Moving swiftly; rapid or nimble. See synonyms at fast¹.
2. Fleeting; evanescent.

v., fleet·ed, fleet·ing, fleets.

v.intr.

1. To move or pass swiftly.
2. To fade out; vanish.
3. Archaic. To flow.
4. Obsolete. To drift.

v.tr.

1. To cause (time) to pass quickly.
2. Nautical. To alter the position of (tackle or rope, for example).

[Probably from Old Norse fljōtr. V., from Middle English fleten, to drift, float, from Old English flēotan.]

fleetly fleet'ly adv.
fleetness fleet'ness n.

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The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition Copyright © 2007, 2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Updated in 2009. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.

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