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Added 9 October 2026

quick

/kwɪk/ noun

In Latin: celer, rapidus, properus Wiktionary

noun Definition from WordNet 3.1, Princeton University. Pronunciation from Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org. More about quick at Wordnik → Where our words come from →

Any area of the body that is highly sensitive to pain (as the flesh underneath the skin or a fingernail or toenail).

adjective

Accomplished rapidly and without delay.
was quick to make friends
Hurried and brief.
paid a flying visit
Moving quickly and lightly.
sleek and agile as a gymnast

adverb

With little or no delay.
the rescue squad arrived promptly

Origin

From Middle English quik, quic (“living, alive, active”), from Old English cwic (“alive”), from Proto-West Germanic *kwiku (“alive, lively quick”), from Proto-Germanic *kwikwaz (“alive, lively, quick”), from Proto-Indo-European *gʷih₃wós (“alive”), from *gʷeyh₃- (“to live”), *gʷeyh₃w- (“to live”). For semantic development, compare lively.

From Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org (CC BY-SA)

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