Tremulating

Part of speech: verb, adjective

Definitions

1. Shaking with a fine, rapid, unsteady motion, as a voice or a hand might when affected by fear or emotion
2. Moving in a faint, fluttering vibration that makes something appear to shiver or quiver slightly
3. Quivering in a delicate, unsteady way, showing a rapid and slight oscillation of the body or a surface

Etymology: "Tremulating" is the present participle of "tremulate," a verb that English formed by working backward from a longer noun. "Tremulation," meaning a trembling or quivering, came first, and speakers then trimmed its ending to produce a verb. Such reverse-formed verbs are common in English, and this one follows the same pattern as the noun it grew from. The noun itself rests on Latin "tremulus," meaning "trembling" or "quivering," a diminutive-style adjective built on "tremere," "to tremble." The sense of a small, rapid shaking is carried straight through from the Latin into the English meaning given above, so "tremulating" describes a fine, unsteady oscillation rather than a violent shake.