shudder
[shuhd-er]
- to tremble with a sudden convulsive movement, as from horror, fear, or cold.
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- a convulsive movement of the body, as from horror, fear, or cold.
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Origin of shudder
1275–1325; Middle English shodderen (v.) (cognate with German schaudern < LG), frequentative of Old English scūdan to tremble; see -er6
Synonyms
See more synonyms for shudder on Thesaurus.com1. quiver. See shiver1.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018
Examples from the Web for shudder
Contemporary Examples
The shudder of the fighting could be felt 16 kilometers away.
“If history is a guide, those complicit bishops should shudder,” said Clohessy.
(shudder) He should be stopped, even though it may be too late.
Five Subreddits You May Have Missed, and Probably Still Should Give a MissKelly Williams Brown
April 5, 2014
“You are speaking of the King in Yellow,” I groaned, with a shudder.
Read ‘The King in Yellow,’ the ‘True Detective’ Reference That’s the Key to the ShowRobert W. Chambers
February 20, 2014
Shudder as you may at those eight legs, this one makes a bit more sense.
Historical Examples
So it is almost with a shudder I take my last look at the Stones of Carnac.
Ballads of a BohemianRobert W. Service
There are ghosts whom I tremble to meet, and cannot think of without a shudder.
Other Tales and SketchesNathaniel Hawthorne
The sinister association of ideas made Mary shudder, but she said no more.
Within the LawMarvin Dana
I used to like him when I was a child; now I shudder at his name.
Alice, or The Mysteries, CompleteEdward Bulwer-Lytton
Do you not look on the past with a shudder at the precipice on which you stood?
Alice, or The Mysteries, CompleteEdward Bulwer-Lytton
shudder
- (intr) to shake or tremble suddenly and violently, as from horror, fear, aversion, etc
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- the act of shuddering; convulsive shiver
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Word Origin
C18: from Middle Low German schōderen; related to Old Frisian skedda to shake, Old High German skutten to shake
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
© William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
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Word Origin and History for shudder
v.
early 14c., possibly from Middle Dutch schuderen "to shudder," or Middle Low German schoderen, both frequentative forms from Proto-Germanic *skuth- "to shake." Related: Shuddered; shuddering.
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n.
c.1600, from shudder (v.).
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Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper