CategoryArchaic Word
Modern Equivalentliving; alive.
KJV Word TypeAdjective / noun
DefinitionLiving or alive. In the KJV phrase "the quick and the dead," it means the living and the dead.
Key Verses"Who shall give account to him that is ready to judge the quick and the dead." (1 Peter 4:5)
KJV Usage NoteMeans “alive” in phrases such as “the quick and the dead.” It does not mean fast in those contexts.
Common MisunderstandingIn “the quick and the dead,” it does not mean fast; it means living or alive.
EtymologyFrom Old English cwic ("alive, living").