- Quickening
- Quicken Quick"en, v. t. [imp. & p. p. {quickened}; p. pr. &
vb. n. {Quickening}.] [AS. cwician. See {Quick}, a.]
1. To make alive; to vivify; to revive or resuscitate, as
from death or an inanimate state; hence, to excite; to,
stimulate; to incite.
[1913 Webster]
The mistress which I serve quickens what's dead. --Shak. [1913 Webster]
Like a fruitful garden without an hedge, that quickens the appetite to enjoy so tempting a prize. -- South. [1913 Webster]
2. To make lively, active, or sprightly; to impart additional energy to; to stimulate; to make quick or rapid; to hasten; to accelerate; as, to quicken one's steps or thoughts; to quicken one's departure or speed. [1913 Webster]
3. (Shipbuilding) To shorten the radius of (a curve); to make (a curve) sharper; as, to quicken the sheer, that is, to make its curve more pronounced. [1913 Webster]
Syn: To revive; resuscitate; animate; reinvigorate; vivify; refresh; stimulate; sharpen; incite; hasten; accelerate; expedite; dispatch; speed. [1913 Webster]
The Collaborative International Dictionary of English. 2000.