quake
[kweyk]
- (of persons) to shake or tremble from cold, weakness, fear, anger, or the like: He spoke boldly even though his legs were quaking.
- (of things) to shake or tremble, as from shock, internal convulsion, or instability: The earth suddenly began to quake.
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- an earthquake.
- a trembling or tremulous agitation.
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Origin of quake
before 900; Middle English; Old English cwacian to shake, tremble
Synonyms
See more synonyms for quake on Thesaurus.comDictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018
Examples from the Web for quake
Contemporary Examples
It is aware that the fear on which it ultimately thrives is that of politicians who quake at its supposed influence and money.
The smaller wineries still cleaning up from the quake are not yet equipped to process fruit.
In the hours before the quake, some local authorities ordered evacuations that proved effective in saving lives.
Some of these waves are what we feel when the ground beneath our feet moves during a quake.
A Lot of Earthquakes Have Been Reported Lately, but Scientists Aren’t WorriedErik Klemetti
April 2, 2014
Haiti had extreme problems far pre-dating the quake that should have been central to the planning for any realistic solution.
Historical Examples
If I do not make Hickman quake now-and-then, he will endeavour to make me fear.
Clarissa, Volume 3 (of 9)Samuel Richardson
She surveyed us both with a scorn in her eyes that made us quake a little.
The HarborErnest Poole
You'll see the plants which make me quake; you'll see the springs, such a shower of water!
Abbe Mouret's TransgressionEmile Zola
I'm that fearsome, that I declare I shiver and quake at nothing.
A Son of HagarSir Hall Caine
It got to be so that whatever we touched began to quake and quiver.
My ReminiscencesRabindranath Tagore
quake
- to shake or tremble with or as with fear
- to convulse or quiver, as from instability
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- the act or an instance of quaking
- informal short for earthquake
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Word Origin
Old English cwacian; related to Old English cweccan to shake, Old Irish bocaim, German wackeln
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
© William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Word Origin and History for quake
v.
Old English cwacian "quake, tremble, chatter (of teeth)," related to cweccan "to shake, swing, move, vibrate," of unknown origin with no certain cognates outside English. Perhaps somehow imitative. In reference to earth tremors, probably by c.1200. Related: Quaked; quaking.
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n.
early 14c., "a trembling in fear," from quake (v.). Rare except in combinations. Now usually as a shortening of earthquake, in which use it is attested from 1640s. Old English had the verbal noun cwacung "shaking, trembling."
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Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper