quiver

C2 Topic:Actions & Processes

US /ˈkwɪvɚ/ UK /ˈkwɪvə/ See IPA manual

Freq #26650

Meanings

1

verb
To shake with small, rapid, trembling movements.

Her lip quivered as she tried to hold back tears.
2

noun
A slight, trembling movement.

There was a quiver of excitement in his voice.
3

noun
A case for carrying arrows.

The archer pulled another arrow from his quiver.

Verb forms

Verb forms are not available for this word yet.

Thesaurus

Synonyms

1 verb · to shake with small, rapid,... tremble shiver shudder quake

2 noun · a slight, trembling movement. vibration

Word family

Forms quiveredquiversquivery

Derived forms quiverfulquiverfullsubquiver

Simplified etymology

The two words quiver have separate origins. The case for arrows came from French quivre, apparently through a Germanic word that may ultimately have entered Europe with the Huns from a Mongolian language; the verb meaning “shake or tremble” is of obscure origin, though it belongs to a probably Germanic group including quaver and quake.

Etymology

From Middle English quiver, from Anglo-Norman quivre, from Old Dutch cocare (source of Dutch koker, and cognate to Old English cocer (“quiver, case”)), from Proto-West Germanic *kokar (“container”), said to be from Hunnic, possibly from Proto-Mongolic *kökexür (“leather vessel for liquids”); see there for more. Replaced early modern cocker, the inherited reflex of that West Germanic word. The mathematical sense originated as German Köcher in a 1972 paper by Pierre Gabriel; it was likely chosen because a quiver contains arrows, while a digraph contains directed edges (also called "arrows").

quiver Middle English quivre xno *kokar Proto-West Germanic *kökexür xgn-pro

View etymology graph ->

Topics

Actions & Processes Word Formation & Derivatives

External links

# quiver

**Type:** Word
**Level:** C2
**Part of speech:** verb, noun
**IPA (US):** /ˈkwɪvɚ/
**IPA (UK):** /ˈkwɪvə/
**Frequency rank:** 26650

## Meanings
1. To shake with small, rapid, trembling movements.
2. A slight, trembling movement.
3. A case for carrying arrows.

## Examples
- Her lip quivered as she tried to hold back tears.
- There was a quiver of excitement in his voice.
- The archer pulled another arrow from his quiver.

## Derived Forms
- quiverful
- quiverfull
- subquiver

## Roots and Affixes
- Root: quiver
- Root: quivre
- Root: *kokar
- Root: *kökexür

## Etymology
From Middle English quiver, from Anglo-Norman quivre, from Old Dutch cocare (source of Dutch koker, and cognate to Old English cocer (“quiver, case”)), from Proto-West Germanic *kokar (“container”), said to be from Hunnic, possibly from Proto-Mongolic *kökexür (“leather vessel for liquids”); see there for more. Replaced early modern cocker, the inherited reflex of that West Germanic word. The mathematical sense originated as German Köcher in a 1972 paper by Pierre Gabriel; it was likely chosen because a quiver contains arrows, while a digraph contains directed edges (also called "arrows").

## AI Etymology
Quiver is from Middle English quiver, from Anglo-Norman quivre, from Old Dutch cocare (source of Dutch koker, and cognate to Old English cocer (“quiver, case”)), from Proto-West Germanic *kokar (“container”), said to be from Hunnic, possibly from Proto-Mongolic *kökexür (“leather vessel for liquids”); see there for more. Replaced early modern cocker, the inherited reflex of that West Germanic word. The mathematical sense originated as German Köcher in a 1972 paper by Pierre Gabriel; it was likely chosen because a quiver contains arrows, while a digraph contains directed edges (also called "arrows"). Important recorded forms include quiver (Middle English), quivre (xno), *kokar (Proto-West Germanic), and *kökexür (xgn-pro). Current senses include to shake with small, rapid, trembling movements, a slight, trembling movement, and a case for carrying arrows. The wider family includes derived forms such as quiverful, quiverfull, and subquiver.

## Topics
- Actions & Processes
- Word Formation & Derivatives

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