quicken Hear it!

quicken definition

quicken (kwik′ən)

transitive verb

  1. to animate; enliven; revive
  2. to arouse; stimulate; stir
  3. to cause to move more rapidly; hasten

Etymology: ME quickenen < ON kvikna, akin to OE cwician < cwicu, living: see quick

intransitive verb

  1. to become enlivened; revive
    1. to begin to show signs of life, as a fetus in the womb
    2. to enter the stage of pregnancy in which the movement of the fetus can be felt
  3. to become more rapid; speed up the pulse quickens with fear

Related Forms:

Webster's New World College Dictionary Copyright © 2009 by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Cleveland, Ohio.
Used by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

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