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quick

From Wiktionary, the free dictionary

English

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Alternative forms

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Etymology

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Etymology tree
Proto-Indo-European *gʷeyh₃-
Proto-Indo-European *-wós
Proto-Indo-European *gʷih₃wós
Proto-Germanic *kwikwaz
Proto-West Germanic *kwiku
Old English cwic
Middle English quyk
English quick

    From Middle English quik, quic (“living, alive, active”), from Old English cwic (“alive”), from Proto-West Germanic *kwiku (“alive, lively quick”), from Proto-Germanic *kwikwaz (“alive, lively, quick”), from Proto-Indo-European *gʷih₃wós (“alive”), from *gʷeyh₃- (“to live”), *gʷeyh₃w- (“to live”). For semantic development, compare lively.

    Cognate with Dutch kwik, kwiek (“lively, quick”), German keck (“sassy, cheeky”), Danish kvik (“lively, quick-witted, quick”), kvæg (“cattle”), Faroese kvikur (“quick”), Icelandic kvikur (“lively, quick”), Norn kvikk, hwikk (“living, swarming, teeming”), Norwegian kvikk (“quick, lively, quick-witted”), Swedish kvick (“quick, witty”), and also (from Indo-European) with Greek βίος (víos, “life”), Latin vivus (“alive”), Lithuanian gývas (“alive”), Latvian dzīvs (“alive”), Russian живо́й (živój, “alive, lively, quick”), Polish żywy (“alive”), Welsh byw (“alive”), Irish beo (“alive”), biathaigh (“to feed”), Northern Kurdish jîn (“to live”), jiyan (“life”), giyan (“soul”), can (“soul”), Sanskrit जीव (jīva, “alive”), Albanian nxit (“to urge, stimulate”). Doublet of jiva.

    Pronunciation

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    Adjective

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    quick (comparative quicker or more quick, superlative quickest or most quick)

    1. Moving with speed, rapidity or swiftness, or capable of doing so; rapid; fast.
      I ran to the station – but I wasn't quick enough.
      He's a quick runner.
      • 2017, Danna Staaf, Squid Empire, ForeEdge, →ISBN, page 87:
        The quickest and nimblest were probably the oxycones, throwing themselves through the water like discuses.
    2. Occurring in a short time; happening or done rapidly.
      Synonym: ready
      That was a quick meal.
      • 2023 December 27, Zachary Small, “Video Games Let Them Choose a Role. Their Transgender Identities Flourished.”, in The New York Times‎[1], archived from the original on 1 February 2024:
        Veronica Ripley, 32, often speaks to friends about the role that video games played in her trans awakening: “I would try to explain it away, saying that I was playing the girl character because she had a smaller hitbox or quicker kill animations,” she said, referring to in-game advantages.
      • 2026 March 15, Genevieve Ko, “‘This Is the Best Dish I Have Ever Made From NYT Cooking’”, in The New York Times‎[2], →ISSN, archived from the original on 15 March 2026:
        The importance of Nowruz is reflected in an elaborate sabzi polo, the herbed rice capped with a crunchy tahdig, the crust formed from lettuce, rice mixed with yogurt or lavash or another thin flatbread. On Wednesday night, I opted for sheveed polo, a simpler and quicker dill rice, but I can’t wait to nail that crunchy tahdig tonight.
    3. Lively, fast-thinking, witty, intelligent.
      You have to be very quick to be able to compete in ad-lib theatrics.
    4. Mentally agile, alert, perceptive.
      My father is old but he still has a quick wit.
    5. (of people or tempers) Easily aroused to anger; quick-tempered.
      She has a very quick temper.
      He is wont to be rather quick of temper when tired.
      • 1549, Hugh Latimer, The Sixth Sermon Preached Before King Edward, April 6 1549:
        The bishop was somewhat quick with them, and signified that he was much offended.
    7. (archaic) Alive, living.
    8. (archaic, of a foetus) At the stage where it can be felt to move in the uterus.
      • (Can we date this quote?) Section 316, Penal Code (Cap. 224, 2008 Ed.) (Singapore)
        Whoever does any act under such circumstances that if he thereby caused death he would be guilty of culpable homicide, and does by such act cause the death of a quick unborn child, shall be punished with imprisonment for a term which may extend to 10 years, and shall also be liable to fine.
    9. (now rare, archaic) Pregnant, especially at the stage where the foetus's movements can be felt; figuratively, alive with some emotion or feeling.
      • c. 1595–1596 (date written), William Shakespeare, “Loues Labour’s Lost”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act V, scene ii]:
        she's quick; the child brags in her belly already: tis yours
      • 1941, Theodore Roethke, “Death Piece”, in Open House, New York, N.Y.: Alfred A[braham] Knopf, →OCLC; republished in The Collected Poems of Theodore Roethke, London: Faber and Faber […], 1968, →OCLC, page 4:
        Invention sleeps within a skull
        No longer quick with light,
        The hive that hummed in every cell
        Is now sealed honey-tight.
      • 2012, Jerry White, London in the Eighteenth Century, Bodley Head, published 2017, page 385:
        When sentenced she sought to avoid hanging by declaring herself with child – ironically, given her favourite deception – but a ‘jury of Matrons’ found her not quick.
    10. (archaic, of water) Flowing, not stagnant.
    11. (archaic) Burning, flammable, fiery.
    12. (obsolete) Fresh; bracing; sharp; keen.
    13. (mining, of a vein of ore) productive; not "dead" or barren
    14. (crosswording) Not cryptic.
    15. Being a distinctively sensitive kind of glaciomarine clay that may behave like a watery fluid under stress.
      • 2022, Anna Bondo Medhus, Lone Klinkby, Engineering Geophysics, page 227:
        Note that quick clay is a subet of brittle material; all quick clay is brittle, but not all brittle clay is quick.) Glaciomarine clay turns into quick clay after extensive pore water leaching by ground- and rainwater.

    Synonyms

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    Antonyms

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    • (antonym(s) of “moving with speed”): slow
    • (antonym(s) of “alive”): dead

    Derived terms

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    English terms derived from the Proto-Indo-European root *gʷeyh₃- (0 c, 753 e)

    Translations

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    The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables. See instructions at Wiktionary:Entry layout § Translations.
    Translations to be checked

    Adverb

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    quick (comparative quicker, superlative quickest)

    1. Quickly, in a quick manner.
      Get rich quick.
      Come here, quick!
    2. Answer quickly.

    Derived terms

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    Translations

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    Noun

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    quick (plural quicks)

    1. Raw or sensitive flesh, especially that underneath finger and toe nails.
    2. Plants used in making a quickset hedge
      • 1641, John Evelyn, diary entry September 1641:
        The works […] are curiously hedged with quick.
    3. The life; the mortal point; a vital part; a part susceptible to serious injury or keen feeling.
      • 1550, Hugh Latimer, Sermon Preached at Stamford, 9 October 1550:
        This test nippeth, […] this toucheth the quick.
      • 1655, Thomas Fuller, The Church-history of Britain; […], London: […] Iohn Williams […], →OCLC, (please specify |book=I to XI):
        How feebly and unlike themselves they reason when they come to the quick of the difference!
      • 1941, Theodore Roethke, “Prognosis”, in Open House, New York, N.Y.: Alfred A[braham] Knopf, →OCLC; republished in The Collected Poems of Theodore Roethke, London: Faber and Faber […], 1968, →OCLC, page 5:
        O see the fate of him whose guard was lowered!—
        A single misstep and we leave the quick.
    4. (with "the", archaic) Synonym of living (“those who are alive”).
      Antonyms: dead; (polite) deceased, departed
      the quick and the dead
    5. Quitchgrass.
    6. (cricket) A fast bowler.

    Derived terms

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    Translations

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    Verb

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    quick (third-person singular simple present quicks, present participle quicking, simple past and past participle quicked)

    1. (transitive) To amalgamate surfaces prior to gilding or silvering by dipping them into a solution of mercury in nitric acid.
    2. (transitive, archaic, poetic) To quicken.
      • 1917, Thomas Hardy, At the Word ‘Farewell’:
        I rose as if quicked by a spur I was bound to obey.

    References

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    French

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    Etymology

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    Pseudo-anglicism, derived from quick.

    Pronunciation

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    Noun

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    quick m (plural quicks)

    1. quick waltz

    See also

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    German

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    Etymology

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    Borrowed from Middle Low German quick, from Old Saxon quik, from Proto-West Germanic *kwiku, from Proto-Germanic *kwikwaz; also a Central Franconian form. Doublet of keck, which see for more.

    Pronunciation

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    Adjective

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    quick (strong nominative masculine singular quicker, comparative quicker, superlative am quicksten)

    1. (rather rare, dated) lively
      • 1896, Theodor Fontane, Effi Briest‎[3], Berlin: F. Fontane & Co.:
        »Eine hübsche Person«, sagte die Zwicker. »Und so quick und kasch, und ich möchte fast sagen, von einer natürlichen Anmut. Wissen Sie, liebe Baronin, daß mich diese Afra…
        (please add an English translation of this quotation)
      • 1899, Theodor Fontane, chapter 12, in Der Stechlin:
        Die Wirtin des Hauses, Frau Hagelversicherungssekretär Schickedanz, hätte diesen gelegentlichen Aufenthalt der Nichte Hartwigs eigentlich beanstanden müssen, ließ es aber gehen, weil Hedwig ein heiteres, quickes und sehr anstelliges Ding war und manches besaß, was die Schickedanz mit der Ungehörigkeit des ewigen Dienstwechsels wieder aussöhnte.
        (please add an English translation of this quotation)

    Usage notes

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    • Much more common than the simplex is the pleonastic compound quicklebendig.

    Declension

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    Positive forms of quick
    number & gender singular plural
    masculine feminine neuter
    predicative er ist quick sie ist quick es ist quick sie sind quick
    strong declension
    (without article)     		nominative quicker quicke quickes quicke
    genitive quicken quicker quicken quicker
    dative quickem quicker quickem quicken
    accusative quicken quicke quickes quicke
    weak declension
    (with definite article)     		nominative der quicke die quicke das quicke die quicken
    genitive des quicken der quicken des quicken der quicken
    dative dem quicken der quicken dem quicken den quicken
    accusative den quicken die quicke das quicke die quicken
    mixed declension
    (with indefinite article)     		nominative ein quicker eine quicke ein quickes (keine) quicken
    genitive eines quicken einer quicken eines quicken (keiner) quicken
    dative einem quicken einer quicken einem quicken (keinen) quicken
    accusative einen quicken eine quicke ein quickes (keine) quicken
    Comparative forms of quick
    number & gender singular plural
    masculine feminine neuter
    predicative er ist quicker sie ist quicker es ist quicker sie sind quicker
    strong declension
    (without article)     		nominative quickerer quickere quickeres quickere
    genitive quickeren quickerer quickeren quickerer
    dative quickerem quickerer quickerem quickeren
    accusative quickeren quickere quickeres quickere
    weak declension
    (with definite article)     		nominative der quickere die quickere das quickere die quickeren
    genitive des quickeren der quickeren des quickeren der quickeren
    dative dem quickeren der quickeren dem quickeren den quickeren
    accusative den quickeren die quickere das quickere die quickeren
    mixed declension
    (with indefinite article)     		nominative ein quickerer eine quickere ein quickeres (keine) quickeren
    genitive eines quickeren einer quickeren eines quickeren (keiner) quickeren
    dative einem quickeren einer quickeren einem quickeren (keinen) quickeren
    accusative einen quickeren eine quickere ein quickeres (keine) quickeren
    Superlative forms of quick
    number & gender singular plural
    masculine feminine neuter
    predicative er ist am quicksten sie ist am quicksten es ist am quicksten sie sind am quicksten
    strong declension
    (without article)     		nominative quickster quickste quickstes quickste
    genitive quicksten quickster quicksten quickster
    dative quickstem quickster quickstem quicksten
    accusative quicksten quickste quickstes quickste
    weak declension
    (with definite article)     		nominative der quickste die quickste das quickste die quicksten
    genitive des quicksten der quicksten des quicksten der quicksten
    dative dem quicksten der quicksten dem quicksten den quicksten
    accusative den quicksten die quickste das quickste die quicksten
    mixed declension
    (with indefinite article)     		nominative ein quickster eine quickste ein quickstes (keine) quicksten
    genitive eines quicksten einer quicksten eines quicksten (keiner) quicksten
    dative einem quicksten einer quicksten einem quicksten (keinen) quicksten
    accusative einen quicksten eine quickste ein quickstes (keine) quicksten

    Derived terms

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    Further reading

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