tremble
/ˈtɹɛmbl̩/ verb, noun, proper noun
Forms trembles trembling trembled
- verb (intransitive) To shake, quiver, or vibrate. “Her lip started to tremble as she burst into tears”
- verb (intransitive, figurative) To fear; to be afraid.
- noun A shake, quiver, or vibration.
- proper noun A surname.
Synonyms
Etymology
From Middle English tremblen, from Old French trembler, from Late Latin tremulāre, ultimately from Latin tremere (“quiver, shake”). Cognate with Ancient Greek τρέμω (trémō).
Webster’s 1913
- verb To shake involuntarily, as with fear, cold, or weakness; to quake; to quiver; to shiver; to shudder; --said of a person or an animal.
- verb To totter; to shake; --said of a thing.
- noun An involuntary shaking or quivering.
Etymology [F. trembler, fr. L. tremulus trembling, tremulous, fr. tremere to shake, tremble; akin to Gr. trimti. Cf. Tremulous, Tremor.]
Sources: Wiktionary · WordNet 3.0 · Webster’s 1913 — from the Wiktionary entry “tremble”, CC BY-SA 4.0. Details