Main Entry: quick·en

Pronunciation: \ˈkwi-kən\

Function: verb

Inflected Form(s): quick·ened; quick·en·ing \ˈkwi-kə-niŋ, ˈkwik-niŋ\

Date: 14th century

transitive verb 1 a : to make alive : revive b : to cause to be enlivened : stimulate
2 archaic a : kindle b : to cause to burn more intensely
3 : to make more rapid : hasten, accelerate <quickened her steps>
4 a : to make (a curve) sharper b : to make (a slope) steeperintransitive verb 1 : to quicken something
2 : to come to life; especially : to enter into a phase of active growth and development <seeds quickening in the soil>
3 : to reach the stage of gestation at which fetal motion is felt
4 : to shine more brightly <watched the dawn quickening in the east>
5 : to become more rapid <her pulse quickened at the sight>

— quick·en·er \ˈkwi-kə-nər, ˈkwik-nər\ noun

synonyms quicken, animate, enliven, vivify mean to make alive or lively. quicken stresses a sudden renewal of life or activity especially in something inert <the arrival of spring quickens the earth>. animate emphasizes the imparting of motion or vitality to what is or might be mechanical or artificial <happiness animated his conversation>. enliven suggests a stimulus that arouses from dullness or torpidity <enlivened her lectures with humorous anecdotes>. vivify implies a freshening or energizing through renewal of vitality <new blood needed to vivify the dying club>.

synonyms see in addition provoke