aquiver

American  

[uh-kwiv-er] / əˈkwɪv ər /

adjective

1. in a state of trepidation or vibrant agitation; trembling; quivering (usually used predicatively).

   The bamboo thicket was aquiver with small birds and insects. The exciting news set me aquiver.

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Etymology

Origin of aquiver

First recorded in 1880–85; a- ¹ + quiver ¹

Example Sentences

It is a testament to his reputation inside the Beltway that members of the press, as well as top Republicans, were all aquiver for the last few days waiting to hear what Whelan had.

From Salon • Sep. 21, 2018

We keep our eyes on the back of the person in front of us, whose leg hairs are aquiver with burrs.

From Slate • Jul. 3, 2018

Howard Hodgkin, a British artist whose lush, semiabstract paintings, aquiver with implicit drama, established him as one of the most admired artists of the postwar period, died on Thursday in London.

From New York Times • Mar. 9, 2017

Fleshy and agile, Hensley’s Oscar is aquiver with his own neurosis: he’s a faith-seeker, but, in the end, he can’t believe in himself, so how can he believe in love with Charity?

From The New Yorker • Nov. 27, 2016

A billion tiny mud creatures lived and ate and died in the top layer of sand, and the little casts and breathing holes and invisible movements showed that the whole landscape was aquiver with life.

From "The Amber Spyglass" by Philip Pullman