shiver

Meanings

1. 1
   verb

   To shake slightly because you are cold or frightened.

   They stood outside for hours, shivering in the frosty air.

2. 2
   noun

   A sudden shaking movement caused by cold, fear, or excitement.

   A shiver ran down my spine when I heard the strange noise.

Simplified etymology

Shiver meaning “tremble” appeared in Middle English as chivere, perhaps an alteration of dialectal chavele “chatter,” from Old English ceafl “jaw,” with reference to chattering teeth. Shiver meaning “break” or “small fragment” has a separate Germanic origin whose basic sense was “slit” or “splinter.”

From a Germanic word, probably present in Old English though unattested, cognate with Old High German scivaro (German Schiefer (“slate”)).

Topics

External links

• Google Images
• Cambridge Dictionary
• Wiktionary