Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “quiver” come from?

Quiver comes from Middle English cwiver, from Old English cwifer, from Old Dutch cocare, of uncertain ultimate origin.

quiver (English): A container for arrows, crossbow bolts or darts,...

Definitions

  1. A container for arrows, crossbow bolts or darts,...

Ancestry of “quiver”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Frenchcuivrecopper; brass; copperplate
2Old Frenchcuivrecopper
3Latincȳprium—
4Ancient GreekΚύπροςCyprus
5Ancient Greek-ῐοςbelonging to; of”, “belonging to”, “pertaining to
6Proto-Indo-European-yósCreates adjectives from noun or verb stems

Words derived from “quiver”

  • quivering
  • aquiver
  • quivery
  • quiveringly
  • quiverful
  • Quiverfull
  • unquivering
  • quiverer
  • bequiver
  • quiverish
  • quiverness
  • unquiveringly
  • quiversome
  • quivertip
  • subquiver
Every word from Proto-Indo-European -yós →