The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48:

Quicken \Quick"en\, v. t. [imp. & p. p. quickened; p. pr. &
   vb. n. Quickening.] [AS. cwician. See Quick, a.]
   1. To make alive; to vivify; to revive or resuscitate, as
      from death or an inanimate state; hence, to excite; to,
      stimulate; to incite.
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            The mistress which I serve quickens what's dead.
                                                  --Shak.
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            Like a fruitful garden without an hedge, that
            quickens the appetite to enjoy so tempting a prize.
                                                  -- South.
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   2. To make lively, active, or sprightly; to impart additional
      energy to; to stimulate; to make quick or rapid; to
      hasten; to accelerate; as, to quicken one's steps or
      thoughts; to quicken one's departure or speed.
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   3. (Shipbuilding) To shorten the radius of (a curve); to make
      (a curve) sharper; as, to quicken the sheer, that is, to
      make its curve more pronounced.
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   Syn: To revive; resuscitate; animate; reinvigorate; vivify;
        refresh; stimulate; sharpen; incite; hasten; accelerate;
        expedite; dispatch; speed.
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