quiver

[ kwiv-er ]

/ ˈkwɪv ər /

SEE SYNONYMS FOR quiver ON THESAURUS.COM

verb (used with or without object)

to shake with a slight but rapid motion; vibrate tremulously; tremble.

noun

the act or state of quivering; a tremble or tremor.

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Can You Remember Your Favorite Words Of The Day From March?

Even if you’re a habitué of Word of the Day, you haven’t seen our March words in these ways! Challenge yourself to our comprehensive quiz!

Question 1 of 15

What does "habitué" mean?

a person who is especially competent to pass critical judgments in an art, particularly one of the fine arts, or in matters of taste.

a frequent or habitual visitor to a place.

a lazy person who stays in bed long after the usual time for arising.

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Origin of quiver

1480–90; origin uncertain; compare Middle Dutch quiveren to tremble

SYNONYMS FOR quiver

1 quake, shudder, shiver. See shake.

2 shudder, shiver, shake.

SEE SYNONYMS FOR quiver ON THESAURUS.COM

OTHER WORDS FROM quiver

quiv·er·er, nounquiv·er·ing·ly, adverbquiv·er·y, adjectiveun·quiv·ered, adjective

un·quiv·er·ing, adjective

Words nearby quiver

quits, quittance, quitted trick, quitter, quittor, quiver, quiver leg, quiverful, quixote, quixotic, quixotism

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020

Example sentences from the Web for quivering

The soft cry from her quivering lips meets the rhythmic beat of our rattles: the battle cry of her living nightmare.
Hallucinating Away a Heroin Addiction|Abby Haglage|May 4, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Ten feet away, Sher scrunched into a quivering ball and began to cry.
Death on Killer Mountain|Amanda Padoan|July 6, 2013|DAILY BEAST
The woman who took no nonsense from a cabinet of quivering, jelly-kneed men, some of whom loved her, some of whom loathed her.
How Margaret Thatcher Transformed British Politics|Tunku Varadarajan|April 8, 2013|DAILY BEAST
But most of our quivering outrage is directed not at those who were clearly dishonest, but those who offend our sensibilities.
Our Insincere, Pointless Cult of Apology|Michael Moynihan|February 28, 2013|DAILY BEAST

It may seem a small detail, given the heat of the moment—but so is a quivering lip.
Sam Harris On the Freedom to Offend an Imaginary God|Sam Harris|September 19, 2012|DAILY BEAST
His spirit broke and he became a quivering jelly-mountain of misery.
The Faith of Men|Jack London
She lifted her shamed face and bravely laid her feverish, quivering lips on his.
Freckles|Gene Stratton-Porter
The guillotine is nothing to the bits of quivering flesh he tears out.
Ginger-Snaps|Fanny Fern
Both spoke with tearful eyes and quivering lip of his worth and loveliness.
Arthur Hamilton, and His Dog|Anonymous
It was three in the morning when I reached the farm-house, and today I am all unstrung and quivering after my terrific adventure.
The Last Galley|Arthur Conan Doyle

British Dictionary definitions for quivering (1 of 2)

quiver¹

/ (ˈkwɪvə) /

verb

(intr) to shake with a rapid tremulous movement; tremble

noun

the state, process, or noise of shaking or trembling

Derived forms of quiver

quiverer, nounquivering, adjectivequiveringly, adverbquivery, adjective

Word Origin for quiver

C15: from obsolete cwiver quick, nimble; compare quaver

British Dictionary definitions for quivering (2 of 2)

quiver²

/ (ˈkwɪvə) /

noun

a case for arrows

Word Origin for quiver

C13: from Old French cuivre; related to Old English cocer, Old Saxon kokari, Old High German kohhari, Medieval Latin cucurum

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

quiver

verb (used with or without object)

noun

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Origin of quiver

SYNONYMS FOR quiver

OTHER WORDS FROM quiver

Words nearby quiver

Words related to quivering

Example sentences from the Web for quivering

British Dictionary definitions for quivering (1 of 2)

verb

noun

Derived forms of quiver

Word Origin for quiver

British Dictionary definitions for quivering (2 of 2)

noun

Word Origin for quiver