quickening
quickening Lexical Profile
quickening Game Scores & Validity
• adjective
Increasing in speed, rate, or pace; accelerating.
"They walked with a quickening pace as the dark storm clouds gathered overhead."
Giving life, vigor, or stimulation; invigorating or animating.
"The warm spring rain had a quickening effect on the dormant seeds in the meadow."
• noun
The act or process of becoming faster or more active; an acceleration.
"Analysts noted a sudden quickening of economic activity in the final quarter of the year."
The stage of pregnancy at which the mother first perceives the movements of the fetus in the uterus, typically occurring between the sixteenth and twentieth weeks.
"During her second trimester appointment, the expectant mother reported experiencing quickening for the first time."
An awakening, revival, or stimulation of life, feeling, or spirit.
"She felt a sudden quickening of hope when the search team discovered fresh tracks."
Word Nuance & Usage
In obstetric contexts, "quickening" retains the original Old English sense of "quick" meaning "alive" (as in "the quick and the dead"), rather than referring to speed.
• Rhymes for quickening
Word Origin & Etymology
From Middle English quikning, derived from Old English cwicnian ("to come to life, revive"), from cwic ("living, alive").