express
noun/ɪkˈspres/
/ɪkˈspres/
- (also express train)[countable] a fast train that does not stop at many places
- the 8.27 express to Edinburgh
- the Gatwick Express
- (British English also special delivery)[uncountable] a service for sending or transporting things quickly
Word Originnoun early 18th cent. (as a verb): extension of express ‘state clearly’; sense (1) of the noun from express train, so named because it served a particular destination without intermediate stops, reflecting an earlier sense of express ‘done or made for a special purpose’, later interpreted in the sense “rapid”. Senses relating to express delivery date from the institution of this postal service in 1891.
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