quiver

To quiver means to shake with small, quick movements, like a leaf in the wind or a person's lip before they cry. Your hands might quiver from cold, your voice might quiver with fear, or your knees might quiver before you speak in front of a crowd. The word is often used for light trembling that shows feeling or weakness.

It can also be a noun. A quiver is the case an archer uses to carry arrows. Most of the time, though, people use the word as a verb to talk about a slight shake that comes from emotion, cold, pain, or excitement.

To quiver is to shake with very small, quick movements. This often happens because of fear, cold, strong feeling, pain, weakness, or excitement. A voice can quiver during an emotional moment, hands can quiver from nerves, and something light or soft can quiver when it is touched or moved. You might say, "Her voice quivered as she spoke," or "The jelly quivered on the plate."

The word is often used when the movement is slight but easy to notice. It suggests more than simple motion. It often hints at what someone is feeling inside. A quivering lip may show that someone is about to cry. Quivering hands may show anxiety, illness, or strain. In stories, the word is useful because it lets a small physical detail reveal emotion without stating it directly.

Quiver also has a separate noun meaning. A quiver is the container an archer carries for arrows. That meaning is common in stories about hunting, battle, or archery. So the word can point either to a light tremble or to a piece of archery equipment, but in everyday English, the verb meaning is much more common.