from
The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48
Quicken \Quick"en\, v. t. [imp. & p. p. {quickened}; p. pr. &
vb. n. {Quickening}.] [AS. cwician. See {Quick}, a.]
1. To make alive; to vivify; to revive or resuscitate, as
from death or an inanimate state; hence, to excite; to,
stimulate; to incite.
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The mistress which I serve quickens what's dead.
--Shak.
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Like a fruitful garden without an hedge, that
quickens the appetite to enjoy so tempting a prize.
-- South.
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2. To make lively, active, or sprightly; to impart additional
energy to; to stimulate; to make quick or rapid; to
hasten; to accelerate; as, to quicken one's steps or
thoughts; to quicken one's departure or speed.
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3. (Shipbuilding) To shorten the radius of (a curve); to make
(a curve) sharper; as, to quicken the sheer, that is, to
make its curve more pronounced.
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Syn: To revive; resuscitate; animate; reinvigorate; vivify;
refresh; stimulate; sharpen; incite; hasten; accelerate;
expedite; dispatch; speed.
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