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quicken

 [kwik-uhn]  

quick·en

   [kwik-uhn]
verb (used with object)
1.
to make more rapid; accelerate; hasten: She quickened her pace.
2.
to give or restore vigor or activity to; stir up, rouse, or stimulate: to quicken the imagination.
3.
to revive; restore life to: The spring rains quickened the earth.
verb (used without object)
4.
to become more active, sensitive, etc.: This drug causes the pulse to quicken.
5.
to become alive; receive life.
6.
(of the mother) to enter that stage of pregnancy in which the fetus gives indications of life.
7.
(of a fetus in the womb) to begin to manifest signs of life.

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Quicken is one of our favorite verbs.
So is hornswoggle. Does it mean:
to swindle, cheat, hoodwink, or hoax.
to chew (food) slowly and thoroughly.
LEARN MORE FUN, UNUSUAL VERBS WITH WORD DYNAMO...
Origin:
1250–1300; Middle English quikenen. See quick, -en1

Related forms
quick·en·er, noun
re·quick·en, verb
un·quick·ened, adjective

Synonyms
2. animate, vitalize, enliven. 3. vivify.

Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2012.
Cite This Source Link To quicken
Collins
World English Dictionary
quicken (ˈkwɪkən)
 
—vb
1.  to make or become faster; accelerate: he quickened his walk; her heartbeat quickened with excitement
2.  to impart to or receive vigour, enthusiasm, etc; stimulate or be stimulated: science quickens man's imagination
3.  to make or become alive; revive
4.  a.  (of an unborn fetus) to begin to show signs of life
 b.  (of a pregnant woman) to reach the stage of pregnancy at which movements of the fetus can be felt

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
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American Heritage
Medical Dictionary

quicken quick·en (kwĭk'ən)
v. quick·ened, quick·en·ing, quick·ens

  1. To become more rapid.

  2. To reach the stage of pregnancy when the fetus can be felt to move.

The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.
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