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quaver

Pronunciation: /ˈkweɪvə/

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Definition of quaver

verb

[no object]

(of a person’s voice) shake or tremble in speaking, typically through nervousness or emotion: his voice quavered with rage (as adjective quavering)‘I’m not safe here, am I?’ she said in a quavering voice

noun

1a shake or tremble in a person’s voice: it was impossible to hide the slight quaver in her voice

2 Music, chiefly British a note having the time value of an eighth of a semibreve or half a crotchet, represented by a large dot with a hooked stem. Also called eighth note.

Derivatives

quaveringly
quavery

Origin:

late Middle English (as a verb in the general sense 'tremble'): from dialect quave 'quake, tremble', probably from an Old English word related to quake. The noun is first recorded (mid 16th century) as a musical term

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Definition of quaver in the US English dictionary

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Other

quaver

verb

noun

Derivatives

quaveringly

quavery

Origin:

quaver in other Oxford dictionaries

Nearby words

More results for quaver

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