English
quick
Quick comes from Middle English quik ‘living, alive, active’, and goes back to Proto-Indo-European *gʷeyh₃- ‘to live’.
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*gʷeyh₃-‘to live’reconstructed
- Proto-Indo-European, derivedc. 4500–2500 BCE*gʷih₃wós‘alive’reconstructed
- Proto-Germanicc. 500 BCE–200 CE*kwikwaz‘alive’reconstructed
- Proto-West Germanicc. 200–500 CE*kwiku‘alive’reconstructed
- Old Englishc. 450–1150cwic‘alive’
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500quik‘living’
- Englishearliest quotation 1549quick
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor
Lineage
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*gʷeyh₃-‘to live’reconstructed
- Proto-Indo-European, derivedc. 4500–2500 BCE*gʷih₃wós‘alive’reconstructed
- Proto-Germanicc. 500 BCE–200 CE*kwikwaz‘alive’reconstructed
- Proto-West Germanicc. 200–500 CE*kwiku‘alive’reconstructed
- Old Englishc. 450–1150cwic‘alive’
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500quik‘living’
- Englishearliest quotation 1549quick
Earliest quotation: 1549, Hugh Latimer, The Sixth Sermon Preached Before King Edward: “The bishop was somewhat quick with them, and signified…”
The story
For semantic development, compare lively.
Linked words
pairs
- quick and biology both from Proto-Indo-European *gʷeyh₃- ‘to live’
through Proto-Indo-European *gʷeyh₃- ‘to live’
kidney, vitamin, viable, hygiene, revive, vitality, zodiac, anaerobic, biogenesis, wyvern, 60 more
through Proto-Indo-European *gʷih₃wós ‘alive’
vital, vivid, vive, vivacious, convivial, vivacity, 33 more
through Proto-Germanic *kwikwaz ‘alive, lively, quick’
Today it means
adj Moving with speed, rapidity or swiftness, or capable of doing so; rapid; fast.
Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.
Etymograph / Proto-Indo-European *gʷeyh₃- / quick