Etymology Explorer › Old English

Where does “cwic” come from?

cwic (Old English) comes from Proto-West Germanic *kwiku, from Proto-Germanic kwikwaz, from Proto-Indo-European gʷih₃wós, from Proto-Indo-European gʷeih₃w- — to live.

cwic (Old English): living, live, alive; mentally agile; intelligent,...

Definitions

  1. living, live, alive; mentally agile; intelligent,...

Ancestry of “cwic”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Proto-West Germanic*kwiku—
2Proto-Germanickwikwazalive; lively, quick
3Proto-Indo-Europeangʷih₃wósalive, living
4Proto-Indo-Europeangʷeih₃w-to live

Words derived from “cwic”

  • quick
  • squid
  • quicksilver
  • quickie
  • quicksort
  • quickstep
  • quickwitted
  • quicksighted
  • quicky
  • quickdraw
  • quickwittedness
  • quickstart
  • quicklike
  • squidlike
  • quicksilvery
  • superquick
  • quickish
  • unquick
  • ultraquick
  • quickbeam
  • quicksmart
  • quicksilverish
  • squiddy
  • quickwittedly
Every word from Proto-Indo-European gʷeih₃w- →