Quavering

Part of speech: verb

Definitions

1. The act of producing a tremulous or wavering sound may indicate nervousness or uncertainty and can also refer to a physical state of shaking or quaking
2. A state characterized by a quivering or trembling quality, often describing a voice or emotional condition that conveys fear or hesitation
3. This describes a presence of unsteadiness marked by a quaking sound, typically associated with emotional distress or physical instability

Etymology: Quavering is the present participle of "quaver", and the verb goes back to Middle English "quaveren", a frequentative form of "quaven" or "cwavien", meaning "to tremble". A frequentative is a verb built to show repeated or continuous action, so the word carries the sense of trembling again and again, in small rapid movements rather than one sudden shake. The "-er" ending is the same frequentative marker that appears in verbs like "flutter" and "stammer", both of which describe quick, repeated motion. The root behind it is a short imitative stem, "quave", which is shared with "quab" and "quiver". Low German has "quabbeln" and German has "quabbeln" and "quappeln", both meaning "to quiver", so the sense of wobbling or jelly-like shaking runs across several Germanic languages. The same family of sounds gives English a whole cluster of words for unsteady motion, and "quaver" sits at its centre.

Synonyms: trembling, shaking