quickening

Estimated CEFR level: C2 — Proficiency

Estimated from word frequency; not an official CEFR classification.

Definition

noun the process of showing signs of life
noun the stage of pregnancy at which the mother first feels the movements of the fetus
noun the act of accelerating; increasing the speed

I was conscious of a curious quickening of excitement. — A Case in Camera, Oliver Onions
Valancy picked it up with a little quickening of her breath. — The Blue Castle: a novel, L. M. (Lucy Maud) Montgomery
At first he felt nothing but a dull quickening throb within his body. — "Wee Tim'rous Beasties": Studies of Animal life and Character, Douglas English

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