Etymograph

English

dispatch

Dispatch may come from Spanish despachar ‘to complete, conclude’.

  1. Spanishc. 1500–presentdespachar1‘to complete, conclude’uncertain
  2. Englishearliest quotation 1548dispatch1

attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor

  1. 1 Wiktionary, English dispatch
  2. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1548, Nicholas Udall: “But whā I had cleane diſpatched myſelf of this…”.

Earlier history uncertain. See Wiktionary.

Lineage

  1. Spanishc. 1500–presentdespacharWiktionary, English dispatch‘to complete, conclude’uncertain
  2. Englishearliest quotation 1548dispatchWiktionary, English dispatch. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1548, Nicholas Udall: “But whā I had cleane diſpatched myſelf of this…”

first attested The first known use in writing (in the past tense, spelled as dispached) is by Bishop Cuthbert Tunstall in 1517 (as stated in Wiktionary’s etymology)

The story

Further etymology is uncertain.uncertain The source flags this step as uncertain. For first element des-, see dis-. The first known use in writing (in the past tense, spelled as dispached) is by Bishop Cuthbert Tunstall in 1517. This would be unusually early for a borrowing from a Romance language other than French, but Tunstall had studied in Italy and was Commissioner to Spain, so this word may have been borrowed through diplomatic circles.

Full etymology on Wiktionary

Linked words

through Latin pedis ‘foot’

expedition, expedite, pedantry, pedant, 13 more

through Late Latin pedica ‘shackle’

peach, 3 more

through Old French empeechier ‘to obstruct, to impede’

impeach, 2 more

Today it means

verb To send (a shipment) with promptness.

Sources

Sources: Wiktionary, “dispatch”. By Wiktionary contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0, via kaikki.org (dump of Oct 3 2026); text adapted and restructured. Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word. License.

Etymograph / Spanish despachar / dispatch

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