• Tremulous

    Pronunciation

    • IPA: /ˈtrÉ›mjulÉ™s/

    Origin

    From Latin tremulus, from tremō ("I shake"). Cognate to Ancient Greek τρέμω.

    Full definition of tremulous

    Adjective

    tremulous

    1. Trembling, quivering, or shaking.
      • 1850, Nathaniel Hawthorne, The Scarlet Letter, ch. 3:The trying nature of his position drove the blood from his cheek, and made his lips tremulous.
      • 1919, William MacLeod Raine, A Man Four-Square, ch. 27:"Thank God!" he cried brokenly, all the pent emotion of the long night vibrant in his tremulous voice.
      • 1956, w, Crime out of Mind Chapter 12, Light filtered in through the blinds of the french windows. It made tremulous stripes along the scrubbed pine floor.
    2. Timid, hesitant, or unconfident.
      • 1891, Grant Allen, The Great Taboo, ch. 15:"You have lived here long?" Felix asked, with tremulous interest, as he took a seat.
      • 2009 Oct. 7, Christopher Kimball, "Opinion: Gourmet to All That," New York Times (retrieved 18 Aug 2012)This, hard on the heels of the death of Julia Child in 2004, makes one tremulous about the future.

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