shiver
pronunciation
How to pronounce shiver in British English:
UK [ˈʃɪvə(r)]
How to pronounce shiver in American English:
US [ˈʃɪvər]
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- Noun:
- reflex shaking caused by cold or fear or excitement
- an almost pleasurable sensation of fright
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- Verb:
- tremble convulsively, as from fear or excitement
- shake, as from cold
Word Origin
- shiver
- shiver: Shiver ‘tremble’ [13] and shiver ‘sliver, fragment’ [12] are different words. The former was originally chiver, which may have been an alteration of an earlier chevel ‘shiver’. This in turn was derived from the Old English noun ceaft ‘jaw’ (source of English jowl), and so etymologically denoted the ‘chattering of the teeth’. Shiver ‘fragment’ may have been borrowed from Low German (Middle Low German had schever). It goes back ultimately to the prehistoric Germanic base *skif- ‘split’.=> jowl
- shiver (v.2)
- "to break in or into many small pieces," c. 1200, from the source of shiver (n.). Chiefly in phrase shiver me timbers (1835), "a mock oath attributed in comic fiction to sailors" [OED]. My timbers! as a nautical oath (probably euphemistic) is attested from 1789 (see timber (n.)). Related: Shivered; shivering.
- shiver (v.1)
- "shake," c. 1400, alteration of chiveren (c. 1200), of uncertain origin, perhaps from Old English ceafl "jaw," on notion of chattering teeth. Spelling change of ch- to sh- is probably from influence of shake. Related: Shivered; shivering.
- shiver (n.1)
- "small piece, splinter, fragment, chip," c. 1200, perhaps from an unrecorded Old English word, related to Middle Low German schever schiver "splinter," Old High German scivero, from Proto-Germanic *skif- "split" (cognates: Old High German skivaro "splinter," German Schiefer "splinter, slate"), from PIE *skei- "to cut, split" (see shed (v.)). Commonly in phrases to break to shivers "break into bits" (mid-15c.). Also, shiver is still dialectal for "a splinter" in Norfolk and Lincolnshire.
- shiver (n.2)
- "a tremulous, quivering motion," 1727, from shiver (v.1). The shivers in reference to fever chills is from 1861.
Example
- 1. Diana gave a little shiver .
- 2. Two spectres make it shiver .
- 3. To lambright , they appeared to shiver , like they 'd gotten cold .
- 4. If your child starts to shiver , then the water is too cold .
- 5. The world felt massive , and a shiver of excitement about the future ran through me .