quicken
Syllables: quick·en/ˈkwɪk(ə)n/
quicken verb: to put (someone or something) in a state of activity or vigour comparable to life; to excite, to rouse.
Verb (1)
quicken (third-person singular simple present quickens, present participle quickening, simple past and past participle quickened)
- To put (someone or something) in a state of activity or vigour comparable to life; to excite, to rouse.
- […] Italy had quickened Cecil, not to tolerance, but to irritation. He saw that the local society was narrow, but, instead of saying, "Does this very much matter?" he rebelled, and tried to substitute for it the society he called broad.1908, E[dward] M[organ] Forster, “Cecil as a Humourist”, in A Room with a View, London: Edward Arnold, →OCLC, part II, page 170
- To inspire or stimulate (an action, a feeling, etc.).
- For ſurely, a rich Land, guardleſs and undefended, muſt needs have been a double Incitement, and ſuch an one, as might not only admit, but even invite the Enemy. It was like a fruitful Garden, or a fair Vineyard without an Hedge, that quickens the Appetite to enjoy ſo tempting, and withal ſo eaſy a...1667; first published 1692, Robert South, “A Sermon Preached at the Consecration of a Chapel”, in Twelve Sermons Preached upon Several Occasions. […], volume I, London: […] J[ohn] H[eptinstall] for...
- This quicken'd my Reſolution to reſtore her Money, and not only ſo, but I reſolv'd I would give her ſomething over and above her Loſs; […]1723, [Daniel Defoe], The History and Remarkable Life of the Truly Honourable Col. Jacque, Commonly Call’d Col. Jack, […], 2nd edition, London: […] J[ohn] Brotherton, […], →OCLC, page 106
- Synonyms:
- instigate, spark off, abet, actuate, goose, fuel, light a fire under, send, sting, bring about
- To stimulate or assist the fermentation of (an alcoholic beverage, dough, etc.).
- To give life to (someone or something never alive or once dead); to animate, to resurrect, to revive.
- Whoſoever will goo about to ſave his lyfe⸝ shall looſe it: And whoſoever ſhall looſe his life⸝ ſhall quycken it.1526, [William Tyndale, transl.], The Newe Testamẽt […] (Tyndale Bible), [Worms, Germany: Peter Schöffer], →OCLC, The Gospell off S. Luke xvij:[33], folio cv, verso
- I haue ſeen a medicine
That's able to breath life into a ſtone,
Quicken a rocke, […]c. 1604–1605 (date written), William Shakespeare, “All’s Well, that Ends Well”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward]...
- To make or help (something) to burn.
- […] she
Quickened the fire and laid the board, […]1870, William Morris, “December: The Fostering of Aslaug”, in The Earthly Paradise: A Poem, part IV, London: F[rederick] S[tartridge] Ellis, […], →OCLC, page 75 - Was it alight once? Still lives spark enough
For breath to quicken, run the smouldering ash
Red right through.1887, Robert Browning, “With Charles Avison”, in Parleyings with Certain People of Importance in Their Day: […], London: Smith, Elder, & Co., […], →OCLC, page 210
- […] she
- To make (a drug, liquor, etc.) more effective or stimulating.
- Coole Violets, and Orpine growing ſtill,
Embathed Balme, and chearfull Galingale,
Freſh Coſtmarie, and breathfull Camomill,
Poppie, and drink-quickning Setuale, […]1591, Ed[mund] Sp[enser], “Muiopotmos, or The Fate of the Butterflie”, in Complaints. Containing Sundrie Small Poemes of the Worlds Vanitie. […], London: […] William Ponsonbie, […], →OCLC - It were good alſo to Enforce the Spirits by ſome Mixtures, that may excite and quicken them.1631, Francis [Bacon], “IV. Century. [Experiments in Consort Touching Maturation, and the Accelerating thereof. And First Touching the Maturation and Quickning of Drinks. And Next Touching the...
- Coole Violets, and Orpine growing ſtill,
- Of a pregnant woman: to be in the state of reaching the stage of pregnancy at which the movements of the foetus are first felt.
- Venus, for Hero was her prieſt, and Iuno Lucina the midwifes goddeſſe, for ſhe was now quickned, and caſt away by the cruelty of Æolus, tooke bread and ſalt and eate it, that they would bee ſmartlie reuenged on that truculent windy iailour, and they forgot it not, for Venus made his ſonne and his...1599, [Thomas] Nashe, Nashes Lenten Stuffe, […], London: […] [Thomas Judson and Valentine Simmes] for N[icholas] L[ing] and C[uthbert] B[urby] […], →OCLC, page 46
- To take on a state of activity or vigour comparable to life; to be excited or roused.
- Born with her life, creature of poignant thirst
And exquisite hunger, at her heart Love lay
Quickening in darkness, till a voice that day
Cried on him, and the bonds of birth were burst.1870 April 26, Dante Gabriel Rossetti, “[Sonnets and Songs, towards a Work to be Called ‘The House of Life.’ Sonnets.] The House of Life. Sonnet I. Bridal Birth.”, in Poems, London: F[rederick]... - The Chaplain's interest in the story visibly quickened.1910, Saki [pseudonym; Hector Hugh Munro], “The Lost Sanjak”, in Reginald in Russia and Other Sketches, London: Methuen & Co. […], →OCLC, page 15
- Born with her life, creature of poignant thirst
- To grow bright; to brighten.
- The fair each moment riſes in her charms,
Repairs her ſmiles, awakens ev'ry grace,
And calls forth all the wonders of her face;
Sees by degrees a purer bluſh ariſe,
And keener lightnings quicken in her eyes.1714, Alexander Pope, “The Rape of the Lock”, in The Works of Mr. Alexander Pope, volume I, London: […] W[illiam] Bowyer, for Bernard Lintot, […], published 1717, →OCLC, canto I, page 128 - She found no rest, and ever fail'd to draw
The quiet night into her blood, but lay
Contemplating her own unworthiness;
And when the pale and bloodless east began
To quicken to the sun, arose, […]1859, Alfred Tennyson, “Enid”, in Idylls of the King, London: Edward Moxon & Co., […], →OCLC, page 29
- The fair each moment riſes in her charms,
- Of an alcoholic beverage, dough, etc.: to ferment.
- Of a pregnant woman: to first feel the movements of the foetus, or reach the stage of pregnancy at which this takes place; of a foetus: to begin to move.
- […] about a month ago she [Lady Castlemaine] quickened at my Lord Gerard's at dinner, and cried out that she was undone; and all the lords and men were fain to quit the room, and women called to help her.1663 January 10 (date written; Gregorian calendar), Samuel Pepys, Mynors Bright, transcriber, “January 1st, 1662–1663”, in Henry B[enjamin] Wheatley, editor, The Diary of Samuel Pepys […], volume...
- Almighty Vigour ſtrove though all the Void,
And ſuch prolifick Influence employ'd,
That ancient, barren Night did pregnant grow,
And quicken'd with the World in Embrio.1695, Richard Blackmore, “Book II”, in Prince Arthur. An Heroick Poem. […], 2nd edition, London: […] Awnsham and John Churchil […], →OCLC, pages 35–36
- To give life; to make alive.
Show 5 more meaningsShow fewer meanings
- To come back to life, to receive life.
- O I, as ſummers flies, are in the ſhambles,
That quicken euen with blovving: […]c. 1603–1604 (date written), William Shakespeare, The Tragœdy of Othello, the Moore of Venice. […] (First Quarto), London: […] N[icholas] O[kes] for Thomas Walkley, […], published 1622, →OCLC, [Act... - Goddeſs of Shades, beneath whoſe gloomy Reign
Yon ſpangled Arch glows with the ſtarry Train,
Who doſt the Cares of Heav'n and Earth allay,
Till Nature quicken'd by th'Inſpiring Ray,
Wakes to new Vigor with the riſing Day.1712 May, Statius, “The First Book of Statius his Thebais”, in [Alexander] Pope, transl., Miscellaneous Poems and Translations. […], London: […] Bernard Lintott […], →OCLC, page 40
- O I, as ſummers flies, are in the ſhambles,
- To inspire or stimulate.
- To make (something) quicker or faster; to hasten, speed up.
- For you may ſooner by Imagination, quicken or ſlacke a Motion, than raiſe or ceaſe it; As it is eaſier to make a Dog goe ſlower, than to make him ſtand ſtill that he may not runne.1631, Francis [Bacon], “X. Century. [Experiments in Consort, Touching the Secret Vertue of Sympathy, and Antipathy.]”, in Sylua Syluarum: Or A Naturall Historie. In Ten Centuries. […], 3rd edition...
- Whoever has been much accuſtomed to viſit ſuch manufactures, muſt frequently have been ſhown very pretty machines, which were the inventions of common workmen in order to facilitate and quicken their own particular part of the work.1776 March 9, Adam Smith, “Of the Division of Labour”, in An Inquiry into the Nature and Causes of the Wealth of Nations. […], volume I, London: […] W[illiam] Strahan; and T[homas] Cadell, […]...
- To shorten the radius of (a curve); to make (a curve) sharper, or (an incline) steeper.
- to quicken the sheer, that is, to make its curve more pronounced
- To become quicker or faster.
- My heartbeat quickened when I heard him approach.
- Tess's breath quickened.1891, Thomas Hardy, chapter XXX, in Tess of the d’Urbervilles: A Pure Woman Faithfully Presented […], volume II, London: James R[ipley] Osgood, McIlvaine and Co., […], →OCLC, phase the fourth (The...
Verb (2)
quicken (third-person singular simple present quickens, present participle quickening, simple past and past participle quickened)
- To apply quicksilver (mercury) to (something); to combine (something) with quicksilver; to quicksilver.
Noun (1)
quicken (plural quickens)
- In full quicken tree: the European rowan, rowan, or mountain ash (Sorbus aucuparia).
- […] Miss Wannop moved off down the path: it was only suited for Indian file, and had on the left hand a ten-foot, untrimmed quicken hedge, the hawthorn blossoms just beginning to blacken at the edges and small green haws to show.1924 April, Ford Madox Ford, chapter V, in Some Do Not … […] (Parade’s End; 1), 2nd edition, London: Duckworth and Company […], published June 1924, →OCLC, part 1, page 132
- Synonyms:
- quickbeam, quick tree
Noun (2)
quicken (countable and uncountable, plural quickens)
- Synonym of couch grass (“a species of grass, Elymus repens”); also (chiefly in the plural), the underground rhizomes of this, and sometimes other grasses.
- Quickens-bog may at first seem to derive its name from the plant Quicken, by which, Scotticé, we understand couch-grass, dog-grass, or the Triticum repens of [Carl] Linnæus, and the common English monosyllable Bog, by which we mean, in popular language, a marsh or morass; in Latin, Palus.1816, [Walter Scott], chapter VI, in The Antiquary. […], volume III, Edinburgh: […] James Ballantyne and Co. for Archibald Constable and Co.; London: Longman, Hurst, Rees, Orme, and Brown, →OCLC...
- Synonyms:
- dog grass, quackgrass, quickens, quick grass, quitch, quitch grass, scutch grass, twitch, witchgrass, couch grass
quicken meaning in Tamil, Urdu, Bengali and Malayalam
quicken in Tamil
- விரை, விரைந்துசெய், விரைவுபடுத்து
quicken in Urdu
- جلانا, تیز دوڑانا, اکسانا, زندہ کرنا
quicken in Bengali
- দ্রুততর করা, সজীব করা
quicken in Malayalam
- ഉത്സാഹിപ്പിക്കുക, വേഗം വർദ്ധിക്കുക, ത്വരിപ്പിക്കുക
More languagesFewer languages
- quicken in Arabic
- أَحْيَا ʔaḥyā, سَرَّعَ sarraʕa
Examples of quicken in a sentence
- It was like a fruitful Garden, or a fair Vineyard without an Hedge, that quickens the Appetite to enjoy ſo tempting, and withal ſo eaſy a Prize.1667; first published 1692, Robert South, “A Sermon Preached at the Consecration of a Chapel”, in Twelve Sermons Preached upon Several...
- The milch-goat looked up from her supper of waste paper; her perennial optimism quickened within her, and swelled to a great and mature confidence; […]1938 May, Evelyn Waugh, chapter 4, in Scoop: A Novel about Journalists, uniform edition, London: Chapman & Hall, published 1948 (1951...
- Meanwhile the light quickened, and gradually disclosed the form and outline of the adjacent domain.1885, Bret Harte, chapter I, in Maruja, Boston, Mass.; New York, N.Y.: Houghton, Mifflin and Company […], →OCLC, page 6:
- Royal pregnancies were not announced in those days; the news generally crept out, and public anticipation was aroused only when the child quickened.2013 February 21, Hilary Mantel, “Royal Bodies”, in Mary-Kay Wilmers, editor, London Review of Books, volume 35, number 4, London: LRB...
Synonyms of quicken
30 more synonymsFewer synonyms
Forms of quicken
| Verb | |
|---|---|
| third-person singular present | quickens |
| present participle | quickening |
| past participle | quickened |
| past | quickened |
| Noun | |
| plural | quickens |
Origin of quicken
From Middle English quikenen (“to become alive again after dying; to raise (someone) from the dead; to regain consciousness or strength; to give vitality, revive; to regain validity; to nourish; to spare (the life of someone or something); to ignite; to illuminate; of events: to happen more quickly; of clouds: to form”) [and other forms], from quiken (“to come to life; to become alive again after dying; to give or regain vitality, revive; of a seed: to germinate, grow; to arouse (anger); to inspire; to reinforce, strengthen; to make (a substance) alchemically active; to nourish, sustain; to sharpen; to ignite; to illuminate; of news: to spread”) + -en (suffix forming the infinitive forms of verbs). Quiken is derived from Old English cwician (“to bring to life, vivify; to come to life, become living; to quicken”), from cwic (“alive, live, living; mentally agile; intelligent, keen”) (ultimately from Proto-Germanic *kwikwaz (“alive; lively; quick”) and Proto-Indo-European *gʷeyh₃- (“to live”)) + -ian (suffix forming verbs from adjectives and nouns). The English word may be analysed as quick (“moving with swiftness; occurring in a short time; (archaic) alive, living; (archaic)...
From quick(silver) (“mercury”) + -en (suffix forming verbs from adjectives and nouns).
From Middle English quiken (“(chiefly in place names) probably the European rowan or mountain ash (Sorbus aucuparia), and possibly also the aspen (Populus tremula), juniper (genus Juniperus, specifically the common juniper (Juniperus communis)), or service tree (Sorbus domestica)”), possibly from Old English cwician (“to bring to life, vivify; to come to life, become living; to quicken”) (see etymology 1).
Words formed from quicken
Words that rhyme with quicken
Questions about quicken
- What does quicken mean?
- Quicken means to put (someone or something) in a state of activity or vigour comparable to life; to excite, to rouse.
- What is quicken in Tamil?
- Quicken in Tamil is விரை, விரைந்துசெய், விரைவுபடுத்து. See Quicken meaning in Tamil.
- How do you use quicken in a sentence?
- It was like a fruitful Garden, or a fair Vineyard without an Hedge, that quickens the Appetite to enjoy ſo tempting, and withal ſo eaſy a Prize.
- What part of speech is quicken?
- Quicken can be a verb or a noun.
- How do you pronounce quicken?
- Quicken is pronounced /ˈkwɪk(ə)n/ (UK).
- What is the past tense of quicken?
- The past tense of quicken is quickened.
Words near quicken in the dictionary
Source and license
Adapted from Wiktionary: quicken (page history and authors); quicken (Tamil Wiktionary) (page history and authors); quicken (Urdu Wiktionary) (page history and authors); quicken (Bengali Wiktionary) (page history and authors); quicken (Malayalam Wiktionary) (page history and authors). Text available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 license. Word.ws reformatted the entry and added links. Wiktionary data of 2026-09-02.
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Pronunciation audio from Wikimedia Commons, each file under its own free license: LL-Q1860 (eng)-Vealhurl-quicken.wav.
Cite this entry: “quicken.” Word.ws, https://word.ws/quicken. Based on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.