quick

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

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.

1. Stage 1 · Old English · medieval cwic "alive", 'alive, living'; 'the quick and the dead' in the Apostles' Creed keeps this meaning.
2. Stage 2 · English · 1300s quick "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.