Earthquake

Pronunciation

• UK IPA: /ˈəːθkweɪk/
• Rhymes: -eɪk

Origin

Middle English ertheqwake, corresponding to earth + quake.

Full definition of earthquake

Noun

1. A shaking of the ground, caused by volcanic activity or movement around geologic faults. from 14th c.
• 1590, Edmund Spenser, The Faerie Queene, III.2:Her alablaster brest she soft did kis,
  Which all that while shee felt to pant and quake,
  As it an Earth-quake were: at last she thus bespake.
• 2006, Declan Walsh, The Guardian, 6 Oct 2006:Last year's earthquake crushed his house, his livelihood and very nearly his leg, he said, pointing to a plastered limb that refuses to heal.

Synonyms

Derived terms

• earthquake-prone

Related terms

• moonquake
• seaquake
• starquake