Etymology Map
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Quick

2 stages from Old English to English.

Today it means moving fast or doing something in a short time

Where does the word "quick" come from? It comes from Old English cwic, adopted directly into English (1300s).

1
Stage 1 of 2
cwic
Old English · medieval
"alive"
'alive, living'; 'the quick and the dead' in the Apostles' Creed keeps this meaning
2
Stage 2 of 2
quick
English · 1300s
"fast"
from 'lively' to 'fast'; 'quicksilver' (living silver, i.e. mercury) and 'cut to the quick', the living flesh under a nail, keep the old sense
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Quick’s story begins in Old English: cwic meant “alive.” 'alive, living'; 'the quick and the dead' in the Apostles' Creed keeps this meaning. It reached English by 1300s as quick. From 'lively' to 'fast'; 'quicksilver' (living silver, i.e. mercury) and 'cut to the quick', the living flesh under a nail, keep the old sense. Today, quick means moving fast or doing something in a short time.