Quiveringly

Part of speech: adverb

Definitions

1. In a fashion marked by a slight, trembling movement or emotional fluctuation that reveals apprehension or excitement
2. With a delivery or gesture that shows a quaking intensity often linked to fear or uncertainty
3. In a way that involves small, rapid movements of shaking or trembling usually caused by emotion or cold

Etymology: "Quiveringly" is a plain formation: the adjective "quivering" with the adverbial suffix "-ly" added. The suffix has a long ancestry. It traces back to a Proto-Germanic word meaning "body" or "form" (the same root as English "like"), which in compounds became a suffix meaning "having the form of" or "in the manner of." Old English turned it into "-līce," which over the centuries wore down to the "-ly" we use to turn adjectives into adverbs. The adjective "quivering" carries the rest of the meaning. It comes from "quiver," a verb meaning to tremble or shake with a slight, rapid motion, and its sense of trembling with fear or eagerness developed from that basic physical movement. Adding "-ly" simply describes an action done in that trembling manner, so a voice that answers "quiveringly" is one that shakes with feeling.

Synonyms: tremulously, shakingly, vibrantly, twitchingly, shudderingly

Antonyms: steadily, calmly, smoothly, serenely, firmly