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shivering

[shiv-er] Origin

shiv·er

1[shiv-er]
verb (used without object)
1.
to shake or tremble with cold, fear, excitement, etc.
2.
Nautical.
a.
(of a fore-and-aft sail) to shake when too close to the wind.
b.
(of a sailing vessel) to be headed so close to the wind that the sails shake.
noun
3.
a tremulous motion; a tremble or quiver: The thought sent a shiver down her spine.
4.
shivers, an attack of shivering or chills (usually preceded by the).

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Shivering is always a great word to know.
So is ort. Does it mean:
a scrap or morsel of food left at a meal.
a screen or mat covered with a dark material for shielding a camera lens from excess light or glare.

Origin:
1150–1200; Middle English chivere (noun); later sh-, apparently for the sake of alliteration in phrase chiver and shake

shiv·er·er, noun
shiv·er·ing·ly, adverb


1. Shiver, quake, shudder refer to a vibratory muscular movement, a trembling, usually involuntary. We shiver with cold, or a sensation such as that of cold: to shiver in thin clothing on a frosty day; to shiver with pleasant anticipation. We quake especially with fear: to quake with fright. We shudder with horror or abhorrence; the agitation is more powerful and deep-seated than shivering or trembling: to shudder at pictures of a concentration camp.

Dictionary.com Unabridged

shiv·er

2[shiv-er]
verb (used with object), verb (used without object)
1.
to break or split into fragments.
noun
2.
a fragment; splinter.

Origin:
1150–1200; (noun) Middle English schivere fragment; cognate with German Schiefer schist; (v.) Middle English schiveren, derivative of the noun
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2012.
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World English Dictionary
shiver1 (ˈʃɪvə)
 
vb
1.  to shake or tremble, as from cold or fear
2.  a.  (of a sail) to luff; flap or shake
 b.  (of a sailing vessel) to sail close enough to the wind to make the sails luff
 
n
3.  the act of shivering; a tremulous motion
4.  the shivers an attack of shivering, esp through fear or illness
 
[C13 chiveren, perhaps variant of chevelen to chatter (used of teeth), from Old English ceafljowl1]
 
'shiverer1
 
n
 
'shivering1
 
adj

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
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Etymonline
Word Origin & History

shiver
"small piece," c.1200, probably related to M.L.G. schever, schiver "splinter," from P.Gmc. *skif- "split" (cf. O.H.G. skivaro, Ger. Schiefer "splinter, slate"). The verb, "to break in or into pieces" is attested from c.1200. Chiefly in phrases to shivers and shiver me timbers (1835), "a mock oath attributed
EXPAND
in comic fiction to sailors" [OED]. My timbers! as a nautical oath is attested from 1789 (see timber). Also, shiver is still dial. for "splinter (n.)" in Norfolk and Lincolnshire.
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Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
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