quickness

The state of being quick or alive; vital power or principle.

Speed; velocity; celerity; rapidity: as, the quickness of motion.

Activity; briskness; promptness; readiness: as, the quickness of the imagination or wit.

Acuteness; keenness; alertness.

Sharpness; pungency; keenness.

Synonyms Quickness, Fastness, Speed, Celerity, Swiftness, Fleetness, Rapidity, Velocity, haste, expedition, despatch, alertness, liveliness. Quickness is the generic term. Quickness, fastness, speed, and rapidity may have relation to time only, or to space passed through or over; the others apply only to space. “Swift to hear,” in Jas. i. 19, is a bold figure. Celerity is swift voluntary movement; but we do not ordinarily speak of the movements of an animal as having celerity. Fleetness also is voluntary, and is applied to animals; we may speak by figure of the fleetness of a yacht. The word suggests quickness in getting over the ground by the use of the feet: we speak of the swiftness or rapidity of the swallow’s or the pigeon’s flight; the fleetness of Atalanta, a hound, a deer. Swiftness is presumably not too great for carefulness or thoroughness; rapidity may be too great for either. Velocity is the attribute of matter in motion; the word is especially a technical term for the rate of movement of matter, whether fast or slow. We speak also of the velocity of sound or light. Rapidity has less suggestion of personality than any of the others, except velocity. See nimble.

Dexterity, adroitness, expertness, facility, knack.

Penetration.

The condition or quality of being quick or living; life.

Activity; briskness; especially, rapidity of motion; speed; celerity.