Where does “quicken” come from?
Quicken derives from Middle English quikenen, from Old English cwician, from Proto-West Germanic kwikkjan, from Proto-Germanic kwikwaną, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European gʷih₃wós meaning alive or living.
quicken (English): To give life to; to animate, make alive, revive;...
Definitions
- To give life to; to animate, make alive, revive;...
Ancestry of “quicken”, step by step
quicken traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via Middle English quikenen
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Middle English | quikenen | — |
| 2 | Middle English | quiken | — |
| 3 | Old English | cwician | to quicken; to come to life, become living; to... |
| 4 | Old English | -ian | Forms verbs from nouns and adjectives |
| 5 | Old English | -ōjan | — |
| 6 | Proto-West Germanic | -ōn | Creates denominative verbs from nouns; Creates... |
| 7 | Proto-Germanic | -ōną | Creates denominative verbs from nouns; Creates... |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | -eh₂yéti | Creates iterative/ frequentative/ intensive... |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | -yéti | Creates intransitive, often deponent,... |
| 10 | Proto-Indo-European | yé- | — |
| 11 | Chichewa | iye | he, she |
via English quicksilver
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | quicksilver | The metal mercury; An amalgam of mercury and tin... |
| 2 | Middle English | quyk silver | quicksilver, mercury |
| 3 | Old English | cwicseolfor | mercury |
| 4 | Old English | cwic | living, live, alive; mentally agile; intelligent,... |
| 5 | Proto-West Germanic | *kwiku | alive |
| 6 | Proto-Germanic | kwikwaz | alive; lively, quick |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | gʷih₃wós | alive, living |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | gʷeih₃w- | to live |