1. The stage of pregnancy at which the mother first feels the movements of the foetus
   "She experienced quickening around the 18th week of her pregnancy"
    
2. The process of showing signs of life
   "the quickening of seed that will become ripe grain"
    
3. The act of accelerating; increasing the speed
   "The quickening of production helped meet the increased demand";
   - acceleration, speedup

1. Move faster
   "The car quickened";
   - accelerate, speed up, speed
    
2. Give life or energy to
   "The cold water quickened him";
   - invigorate
    
3. Give new life or energy to
   "The pep talk quickened the discouraged team";
   - animate, recreate, reanimate, revive, renovate, repair, vivify, revivify
    
4. Make keen or more acute
   "quicken my appetite";
   - whet
    
5. Show signs of life
   "the foetus quickened"

Derived forms: quickenings

Type of: arouse, biological process, brace, deepen, degree, energise [Brit], energize, excite, hurrying, intensify, level, move, organic process, perk up, phase, phasis, point, speed, speeding, stage, stimulate, stir

Part of: gestation, gravidation [archaic], gravidity [technical], maternity, pregnancy

Encyclopedia: Quickening