Etymograph

English

quickness

Quickness comes from Middle English quyknesse ‘Life’, from quyk ‘living, alive, active’, and ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *gʷeyh₃- ‘to live’.

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*gʷeyh₃-1‘to live’reconstructed
  2. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*gʷih₃wós1‘alive, living’reconstructed
  3. Proto-Germanicc. 500 BCE–200 CE*kwikwaz1‘alive’reconstructed
  4. Proto-West Germanicc. 200–500 CE*kwiku1‘alive’reconstructed
  5. Old Englishc. 450–1150cwic1‘alive’
  6. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500quyk2as quik‘living, alive, active’
  7. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500quyknesse3as quiknes‘Life’
  8. Englishtodayquickness3

attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor

  1. 1 Wiktionary, Middle English quyk
  2. 2 Wiktionary, Middle English quyknesse
  3. 3 Wiktionary, English quickness

Lineage

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*gʷeyh₃-Wiktionary, Middle English quyk‘to live’reconstructed
  2. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*gʷih₃wósWiktionary, Middle English quyk‘alive, living’reconstructed
  3. Proto-Germanicc. 500 BCE–200 CE*kwikwazWiktionary, Middle English quyk‘alive’reconstructed
  4. Proto-West Germanicc. 200–500 CE*kwikuWiktionary, Middle English quyk‘alive’reconstructed
  5. Old Englishc. 450–1150cwicWiktionary, Middle English quyk‘alive’
  6. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500quykWiktionary, Middle English quyknesseas quik‘living, alive, active’
  7. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500quyknesseWiktionary, English quicknessas quiknes‘Life’
  8. EnglishtodayquicknessWiktionary, English quickness

Formed from quick + -ness

Proto-Indo-European *gʷeyh₃- ‘to live’

…

Proto-Germanic *kwikwaz ‘alive’

Proto-West Germanic *kwiku ‘alive’

Old English cwic ‘alive’

Middle English quik ‘living’

English quick

Linked words

through Proto-Indo-European *gʷeyh₃- ‘to live’

biology, vitamin, viable, kidney, revive, hygiene, vitality, zodiac, anaerobic, wyvern, biogenesis, 59 more

through Proto-Indo-European *gʷih₃wós ‘alive, living’

vital, vivid, vive, vivacious, convivial, vivacity, 32 more

through Proto-Germanic *kwikwaz ‘alive’

couch, 2 more

through Old English cwic ‘alive’

quicksilver, 2 more

Today it means

noun rapidity of movement or activity; agility or dexterity

Sources

Sources: Wiktionary, “quickness”; the older steps come from the Wiktionary entries for Middle English quyk, Middle English quyknesse. By Wiktionary contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0, via kaikki.org (dump of Oct 3 2026); text adapted and restructured. Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word. License.

Etymograph / Proto-Indo-European *gʷeyh₃- / quickness

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