Date: 14th century
a. to make alive ; revive
b. to cause to be enlivened ; stimulate
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) steeper intransitive 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> • quickener 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>. Synonym: see in addition provoke.
New Collegiate Dictionary. 2001.