# quicken

> English word · Verb · IPA /ˈkwɪk(ə)n/ · frequency rank #34,655

## Definitions
1. Senses relating to life or states of activity.
2. Senses relating to life or states of activity.
3. Senses relating to life or states of activity.
4. Senses relating to life or states of activity.
5. Senses relating to life or states of activity.
6. Senses relating to life or states of activity.
7. Senses relating to life or states of activity.
8. Senses relating to life or states of activity.
9. Senses relating to life or states of activity.
10. Senses relating to life or states of activity.
11. Senses relating to life or states of activity.
12. Senses relating to life or states of activity.
13. Senses relating to life or states of activity.
14. Senses relating to life or states of activity.
15. Senses relating to speed.
16. Senses relating to speed.
17. Senses relating to speed.

## Etymology
From Middle English quikenen (“to become alive again after dying; to raise (someone) from the dead; to regain consciousness or strength; to give vitality, revive; to regain validity; to nourish; to spare (the life of someone or something); to ignite; to illuminate; of events: to happen more quickly; of clouds: to form”) [and other forms], from quiken (“to come to life; to become alive again after dying; to give or regain vitality, revive; of a seed: to germinate, grow; to arouse (anger); to inspire; to reinforce, strengthen; to make (a substance) alchemically active; to nourish, sustain; to sharpen; to ignite; to illuminate; of news: to spread”) + -en (suffix forming the infinitive forms of verbs). Quiken is derived from Old English cwician (“to bring to life, vivify; to come to life, become living; to quicken”), from cwic (“alive, live, living; mentally agile; intelligent, keen”) (ultimately from Proto-Germanic *kwikwaz (“alive; lively; quick”) and Proto-Indo-European *gʷeyh₃- (“to live”)) + -ian (suffix forming verbs from adjectives and nouns). The English word may be analysed as quick (“moving with swiftness; occurring in a short time; (archaic) alive, living; (archaic) pregnant”) + -en (suffix attached to some adjectives forming transitive verbs meaning ‘to make [adjective]’).
Cognates
* Danish kvikne (“to quicken, revive”)
* Icelandic kvikna (“to ignite; to turn on”)
* Swedish kvickna (“to revive”)

## Easily confused with
- **quickly** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/quicken-vs-quickly)
- **quicker** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/quicken-vs-quicker)
- **quickie** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/quicken-vs-quickie)
- **quick** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/quick-vs-quicken)
- **quiche** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/quiche-vs-quicken)

## Common misspellings (10)
`qiucken`, `qquicken`, `quciken`, `quiccken`, `quicekn`, `quickenn`, `quickken`, `quickne`, `quikcen`, `uqicken`

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-05-06.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/word/quicken