Definitions
from The Century Dictionary.
- noun The act of reviving or animating.
- noun The time of pregnancy when the fetus is first felt to be quick.
from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.
- noun The act or process of making or of becoming quick.
- noun (Physiol.) The first motion of the fetus in the womb felt by the mother, occurring usually about the middle of the term of pregnancy. It has been popularly supposed to be due to the fetus becoming possessed of independent life.
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.
- verb Present participle of
quicken . - noun The action of bringing someone or something to
life . - noun The first noticable
movements of afoetus duringpregnancy , or the period when this occurs. - noun
Stimulation ,excitement (of a feeling, emotion etc.).
from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.
- noun the process of showing signs of life
- noun the act of accelerating; increasing the speed
- noun the stage of pregnancy at which the mother first feels the movements of the fetus
Etymologies
Sorry, no etymologies found.
Support
Help support Wordnik (and make this page ad-free) by adopting the word quickening.
Examples
-
Down through the sere leaves comes the first chestnut; others follow in quickening commotion, beginning their long pilgrimage to perfection; a hundred years hence they will stand in bridal white against the blue.
-
THERE is a certain quickening of everything in these fall days,
Gardening by Myself 1872
-
Death, so far from preventing quickening, is the necessary prelude and prognostication of it, just as the seed "is not quickened" into a new sprout with increased produce, "except it die" (except a dissolution of its previous organization takes place).
-
The notion of "quickening" -- when the woman could first sense movement in her womb -- was sometimes used as a dividing line between ethical and unethical abortion.
John Backman: Can 'I Don't Know' Break The Abortion Stalemate? John Backman 2011
-
The notion of "quickening" -- when the woman could first sense movement in her womb -- was sometimes used as a dividing line between ethical and unethical abortion.
John Backman: Can 'I Don't Know' Break The Abortion Stalemate? John Backman 2011
-
These first sensations, referred to as quickening, often feel like little fluttery movements or gas.
Our Bodies, Ourselves: Pregnancy and Birth THE BOSTON WOMEN’S HEALTH BOOK COLLECTIVE 2008
-
These first sensations, referred to as quickening, often feel like little fluttery movements or gas.
Our Bodies, Ourselves: Pregnancy and Birth THE BOSTON WOMEN’S HEALTH BOOK COLLECTIVE 2008
-
Though Israel be but a remnant amidst many nations after her restoration, yet she shall exercise the same blessed influence in quickening them spiritually that the small imperceptible dew exercises in refreshing the grass (De 32: 2;
-
God's power and grace are magnified in quickening what to the eye of flesh seems dead and hopeless (Ro 4: 17,
-
Your first example hearkens back to the idea of quickening — the point at which a woman “feels” a child inside — hardly at the moment of fertilziation, indeed, often not until week 20 or even later depending on how the placenta is situated.
Quote 2004
-
The quickening—when a pregnant woman began to feel or perceive fetal movements, usually between fifteen to seventeen weeks (three to four months)—was the most important confirmation of a viable pregnancy and often when women announced it.
Plant of the Month: Dittany | JSTOR Daily Allison Miller 2020
Comments
Log in or sign up to get involved in the conversation. It's quick and easy.