Definitions

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

  • adjective Appearing or ripening early in the year, as flowers or fruit.

from The Century Dictionary.

  • See rath.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • adjective poetic ripening or blooming early.
  • adverb obsolete Quickly.
  • adverb poetic Early in the morning.

Etymologies

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition

[Middle English, quick, from Old English hræd, hræth.]

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

From Middle English, from Old English hræþ, hræd ("quick, nimble, ready, active, alert, prompt"), from Proto-Germanic *hraþaz, *hradaz (“quick, rapid”), from Proto-Indo-European *kret- (“quick; to move quickly”). Cognate with Dutch rad ("quick, swift"), German gerade ("straight, direct"), Norwegian rad ("quick, direct"), Gothic 𐍂𐌰𐌸𐍃 (raþs, "easy").

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

From Middle English, from Old English hraþe ("quickly"), from Proto-Germanic *hraþô (“quickly, rapidly”), from *hraþaz (“quick, rapid”). See above.

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Examples

Comments

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  • precocious: early blooming

    March 17, 2007