n.
Function: noun
Date: before 12th century
1 quick plural : living beings
2 [probably of Scandinavian origin; akin to Old Norse kvika sensitive flesh, from kvikr living] a : a painfully sensitive spot or area of flesh (as that underlying a fingernail or toenail) b : the inmost sensibilities <hurt to the quick by the remark> c : the very center of something : HEART
3 archaic : LIFE 11