'quickly' originates from Old English, formed from the adjective 'quick' + the adverbial suffix '-ly' (from Old English '-līc'), where 'quick' meant 'alive, living' and '-ly' formed adverbs meaning 'in the manner of'.

'quickly' appeared in Middle English as 'quikliche' or 'quikly', derived from Old English 'cwic' (for 'quick') plus the suffix (Old English '-līc' > Middle English '-liche/-ly'), and eventually became the modern English word 'quickly'.

Initially 'quick' meant 'alive' or 'living'; over time its sense shifted toward 'swift' or 'fast', and 'quickly' evolved to mean 'with speed' or 'rapidly'.