Quake

Pronunciation

• GenAm IPA: /kweɪk/
• Rhymes: -eɪk

Origin

From Middle English quaken, from Old English cwacian ("to quake, tremble, chatter"), from Proto-Germanic *kwakōną ("to shake, quiver, tremble"), from Proto-Indo-European *gʷog- ("to shake, swing"), related to Old English cweccan ("to shake, swing, move, vibrate, shake off, give up") (see quitch), Eastern Frisian kwakkelje ("to flounder, limp"), Dutch kwakkelen ("to ail, be ailing"), German Quackelei ("chattering"), Danish kvakle ("to bungle"), Latin vēxō ("toss, shake violently, jostle, vex"), Irish bogadh ("a move, movement, shift, change").

Full definition of quake

Noun

1. A trembling or shaking.We felt a quake in the apartment every time the train went by.
2. An earthquake, a trembling of the ground with force.California is plagued by quakes; there are a few minor ones almost every month.

Verb

1. (intransitive) To tremble or shake.I felt the ground quaking beneath my feet.
• Sir Philip SidneyShe stood quaking like the partridge on which the hawk is ready to seize.
2. (transitive, obsolete) To cause to tremble or shake.

Derived terms

• Quaker