Quick

Part of speech: adjective

Pronunciation: /kwɪk/

Definitions

1. Moving or acting with speed and minimal delay
2. Characterized by high speed and agility while accomplishing actions with little delay or brief duration
3. Showing promptness in response or action and done with little or no hesitation

Etymology: The most surprising thing about "quick" is that it once meant "alive" and only later came to mean "fast." In Old English, "cwic" described a living being, and the phrase "the quick and the dead" still preserves that original sense, referring to the living and the dead. The meaning moved toward "lively" and "active" in Middle English, and speed followed from the idea of a living creature moving briskly. The word is a close relative of "vivid," "vivacious," and "vital," all drawn from the same ancient root meaning "to live." English "quick" and Latin "vivus" share that Indo-European ancestry, making them distant cousins across two language families. Their paths diverged long ago, but both stayed attached to the idea of life and movement. The same root appears across the Germanic languages, where cognates include Dutch "kwiek," Swedish "kvick," and German "keck," all carrying senses of liveliness, cleverness, or briskness. Scholars recognise a parallel development in "lively," which followed a similar course from "alive" to "quick."

Synonyms: fast, rapid, swift, speedy, hasty

Antonyms: slow, lethargic, sluggish, unhurried, delayed