Etymograph

English

quaver

Quaver comes from Middle English quaveren ‘to waver or vacillate’, and goes back to quaven ‘to tremble’.

  1. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500quaven1as cwavien‘to tremble’
  2. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500quaveren1‘to waver or vacillate’
  3. Englishearliest quotation 1711quaver1

attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor

  1. 1 Wiktionary, English quaver
  2. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1711, WEDNESDAY, October 25, 1711: “We shall hear her quavering them […] to some…”.

Lineage

  1. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500quavenWiktionary, English quaveras cwavien‘to tremble’
  2. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500quaverenWiktionary, English quaver‘to waver or vacillate’
  3. Englishearliest quotation 1711quaverWiktionary, English quaver. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1711, WEDNESDAY, October 25, 1711: “We shall hear her quavering them […] to some…”

Formed from quave + -er

Middle English quaven ‘to tremble’

English quave

Every English word from Middle English quaven

Today it means

noun A trembling shake.

Sources

Sources: Wiktionary, “quaver”. By Wiktionary contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0, via kaikki.org (dump of Oct 3 2026); text adapted and restructured. Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word. License.

Etymograph / Middle English quaven / quaver

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