Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “quaver” come from?

Quaver comes from Middle English quaveren, which derives from Middle English quaven.

quaver (English): A trembling shake; A trembling of the voice, as...

Definitions

  1. A trembling shake; A trembling of the voice, as...

Ancestry of “quaver”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle Englishquaveren—
2Middle English-eren—
3Middle English-enDenotes the past participle form when attached to...
4Old English-enmæġþ + API → mæġden; cocc + API → cycen, cicen;...
5Old Norse-innUsed to create adjectives from nouns, meaning...
6Proto-Norse-īna-—
7Proto-Germanic-īnaz-en
8Proto-Indo-European-iHnosCreates adjectives of materials
9Proto-Indo-European-no-adjectival suffix

Words derived from “quaver”

  • quavering
  • semiquaver
  • quavery
  • quaveringly
  • demisemiquaver
  • demiquaver
  • unquavering
  • hemidemisemiquaver
  • quaverous
  • semidemisemiquaver
  • semidemiquaver
  • quasihemidemisemiquaver
  • hemisemidemiquaver
  • quaverer
Every word from Proto-Indo-European -no- →