Where does “quickwittedness” come from?
quickwittedness (English) comes from English quickwitted, from English quick, from Middle English quik, from Old English cwic, from Proto-West Germanic *kwiku, from Proto-Germanic kwikwaz, from Proto-Indo-European gʷih₃wós, from Proto-Indo-European gʷeih₃w- — to live.
quickwittedness (English): The state or condition of being quickwitted
Definitions
- The state or condition of being quickwitted
Ancestry of “quickwittedness”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | English | quickwitted | Alternative spelling of quick-witted |
| 2 | English | quick | Moving with speed, rapidity or swiftness, or... |
| 3 | Middle English | quik | living, alive, active; active, alert; vibrant,... |
| 4 | Old English | cwic | living, live, alive; mentally agile; intelligent,... |
| 5 | Proto-West Germanic | *kwiku | — |
| 6 | Proto-Germanic | kwikwaz | alive; lively, quick |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | gʷih₃wós | alive, living |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | gʷeih₃w- | to live |