quicken

== English == === Pronunciation === (Received Pronunciation, General American) IPA(key): /ˈkwɪk(ə)n/ Rhymes: -ɪkən Hyphenation: quick‧en === Etymology 1 === 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) pregnant”) +‎ -en (suffix attached to some adjectives forming transitive verbs meaning ‘to make [adjective]’). ==== Verb ==== quicken (third-person singular simple present quickens, present participle quickening, simple past and past participle quickened) Senses relating to life or states of activity. (transitive) To put (someone or something) in a state of activity or vigour comparable to life; to excite, to rouse. Synonyms: motivate, stir up; see also Thesaurus:enliven, Thesaurus:thrill To inspire or stimulate (an action, a feeling, etc.). Synonyms: instigate, spark off; see also Thesaurus:incite To stimulate or assist the fermentation of (an alcoholic beverage, dough, etc.). (literary, also figuratively) To give life to (someone or something never alive or once dead); to animate, to resurrect, to revive. [from 14th c.] Synonyms: enliven, vitalise, vivify (archaic) To make or help (something) to burn. Synonyms: see Thesaurus:kindle (obsolete) To make (a drug, liquor, etc.) more effective or stimulating. (passive voice) 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. (intransitive) To take on a state of activity or vigour comparable to life; to be excited or roused. [from 15th c.] To grow bright; to brighten. Of an alcoholic beverage, dough, etc.: to ferment. (also figuratively) 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. [from 16th c.] (literary, also figuratively) To give life; to make alive. To come back to life, to receive life. [from 14th c.] (rare) To inspire or stimulate. Senses relating to speed. (transitive) To make (something) quicker or faster; to hasten, speed up. [from 17th c.] Synonyms: accelerate; see also Thesaurus:speed up (construction, nautical (shipbuilding), archaic) To shorten the radius of (a curve); to make (a curve) sharper, or (an incline) steeper. (intransitive) To become quicker or faster. [from 17th c.] ===== Derived terms ===== ===== Translations ===== === Etymology 2 === From quick(silver) (“mercury”) +‎ -en (suffix forming verbs from adjectives and nouns). ==== Verb ==== quicken (third-person singular simple present quickens, present participle quickening, simple past and past participle quickened) (transitive, rare) To apply quicksilver (mercury) to (something); to combine (something) with quicksilver; to quicksilver. ===== Translations ===== === Etymology 3 === 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). ==== Noun ==== quicken (plural quickens) (chiefly Ireland, Northern England) In full quicken tree: the European rowan, rowan, or mountain ash (Sorbus aucuparia). [from 15th c.] Synonyms: quickbeam, quick tree ===== Translations ===== === Etymology 4 === From Middle English quiken (“couch grass (Elymus repens); a leguminous plant, vetch”) [and other forms], a variant of quich, quik (“couch grass (Elymus repens); a leguminous plant, vetch”) [and other forms] (whence modern English quick, quitch (“couch grass, quitchgrass”); the -en element remains unexplained), from Old English cwiċe (“couch grass”), ultimately from Proto-Germanic *kwikwaz (“alive; lively; quick”); see further at etymology 1. ==== Noun ==== quicken (countable and uncountable, plural quickens) (chiefly Midlands (northern), Northern England, Northern Ireland, Scotland) Synonym of couch grass (“a species of grass, Elymus repens”); also (chiefly in the plural), the underground rhizomes of this, and sometimes other grasses. Synonyms: dog grass, quackgrass, quickens, quick grass, quitch, quitch grass, scutch grass, twitch, witchgrass ===== Derived terms ===== quickens (plural noun) ===== Translations ===== === References === === Further reading === couch grass on Wikipedia.Wikipedia Category:Elymus repens on Wikimedia Commons.Wikimedia Commons Elymus repens on Wikispecies.Wikispecies Sorbus aucuparia on Wikipedia.Wikipedia Category:Sorbus aucuparia on Wikimedia Commons.Wikimedia Commons Sorbus aucuparia on Wikispecies.Wikispecies == German == === Pronunciation === === Adjective === quicken inflection of quick: strong genitive masculine/neuter singular weak/mixed genitive/dative all-gender singular strong/weak/mixed accusative masculine singular strong dative plural weak/mixed all-case plural == Old Dutch == === Etymology === From quic +‎ -en. === Verb === quicken to come to life ==== Inflection ==== ==== Descendants ==== Middle Dutch: quicken ==== Further reading ==== “kwikken”, in Oudnederlands Woordenboek, 2012