God speed the plough

Posted by ESC August 12, 2002In reply to What does "God Speed" mean? posted by Bruce Kahl on August 08, 2002

What does the phrase, "God Speed" mean and where does it come from?

One entry found for Godspeed.

Main Entry: God·speed
Pronunciation: -'spEd
Function: noun
Etymology: Middle English god speid, from the phrase God spede you God prosper you
Date: 15th century

a prosperous journey : SUCCESS

GOD SPEED THE PLOW -- "God speed the plough, 'a wish for success or prosperity,' was originally a phrase in a 15th-century song sung by ploughmen on Plough Monday, the first Monday after Twelfth Day, which is the end of the Christmas holidays, when farm laborers returned to the plough. On this day ploughmen customarily went from door to door dressed in white and drawing a plough, soliciting 'plough money' to spend in celebration. Encyclopedia of Word and Phrase Origins by Robert Hendrickson (Facts on File, New York, 1997).