Adjacent Words

Shiver definitions

	Tweet

Webster's 1828 Dictionary

SHIV'ER, n.
1. In mineralogy, a species of blue slate; shist; shale.
2. In seamen's language, a little wheel; a sheeve.
SHIV'ER, v.t. [supra. Qu. Heb. to break in pieces. Class Br. No.26.] To break into many small pieces or splinters; to shatter; to dash to pieces by a blow.
The ground with shiver'd armor strown. Milton.
SHIV'ER, v.i.
1. To fell at once into many small pieces or parts.
The natural world, should gravity once cease, would instantly shiver into of millions of atoms. Woodward.
2. To quake; to tremble; to shudder; to shake, as with cold, ague; fear or horror.
The man that shiver'd on the brink of sin. Dryden.
Prometeus is laid
On icy Caucasus to shiver. Swift.
3. To be affected with a thrilling sensation, like that of chillness.
Any very harsh noise will set the teeth on edge, and make all the body shiver.
Shak.
SHIV'ER, n.
1. A small piece or fragment into which a thing breaks by any sudden violence.
He would pound thee into shivers with his fist, as a sailor breaks his biscuit.
Shak.
2. A slice; a sliver.

WordNet (r) 3.0 (2005)

n
1: a reflex motion caused by cold or fear or excitement [syn: tremble, shiver, shake]
2: an almost pleasurable sensation of fright; "a frisson of surprise shot through him" [syn: frisson, shiver, chill, quiver, shudder, thrill, tingle] v
1: tremble convulsively, as from fear or excitement [syn: shudder, shiver, throb, thrill]
2: shake, as from cold; "The children are shivering--turn on the heat!" [syn: shiver, shudder]

Merriam Webster's

I. noun Etymology: Middle English; akin to Old High German scivaro splinter Date: 13th century one of the small pieces into which a brittle thing is broken by sudden violence II. verb (shivered; shivering) Date: 13th century to break into many small pieces ; shatter III. verb (shivered; shivering) Etymology: Middle English, alteration of chiveren Date: 15th century intransitive verb 1. to undergo trembling ; quiver 2. to tremble in the wind as it strikes first one and then the other side (of a sail) transitive verb to cause (a sail) to shiver by steering close to the wind IV. noun Date: 1727 1. an instance of shivering ; tremble 2. an intense shivery sensation especially of fear — often used in plural with the <horror movies give him the shivers> 3. a hard blow (as with a forearm) especially to the head or neck

Oxford Reference Dictionary

1. v. & n. --v.intr. 1 tremble with cold, fear, etc. 2 suffer a quick trembling movement of the body; shudder. --n. 1 a momentary shivering movement. 2 (in pl.) an attack of shivering, esp. from fear or horror (got the shivers in the dark). Derivatives: shiverer n. shiveringly adv. shivery adj. Etymology: ME chivere, perh. f. chavele chatter (as JOWL(1)) 2. n. & v. --n. (esp. in pl.) each of the small pieces into which esp. glass is shattered when broken; a splinter. --v.tr. & intr. break into shivers. Phrases and idioms: shiver my timbers a reputed piratical curse. Etymology: ME scifre, rel. to OHG scivaro splinter f. Gmc

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Shiver Shiv"er, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Shivered; p. pr. & vb. n. Shivering.] [OE. schiveren, scheveren; cf. OD. scheveren. See Shiver a fragment.] To break into many small pieces, or splinters; to shatter; to dash to pieces by a blow; as, to shiver a glass goblet. All the ground With shivered armor strown. --Milton.

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Shiver Shiv"er, n. [OE. schivere, fr. shive; cf. G. schifer a splinter, slate, OHG. scivere a splinter, Dan. & Sw. skifer a slate. See Shive, and cf. Skever.] 1. One of the small pieces, or splinters, into which a brittle thing is broken by sudden violence; -- generally used in the plural. ``All to shivers dashed.'' --Milton. 2. A thin slice; a shive. [Obs. or Prov. Eng.] ``A shiver of their own loaf.'' --Fuller. Of your soft bread, not but a shiver. --Chaucer. 3. (Geol.) A variety of blue slate. 4. (Naut.) A sheave or small wheel in a pulley. 5. A small wedge, as for fastening the bolt of a window shutter. 6. A spindle. [Obs. or Prov. Eng.]

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Shiver Shiv"er, v. i. To separate suddenly into many small pieces or parts; to be shattered. There shiver shafts upon shields thick. --Chaucer The natural world, should gravity once cease, . . . would instantly shiver into millions of atoms. --Woodward.

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Shiver Shiv"er, v. i. [OE. chiveren, cheveren; of uncertain origin. This word seems to have been confused with shiver to shatter.] To tremble; to vibrate; to quiver; to shake, as from cold or fear. Prometheus is laid On icy Caucasus to shiver. --Swift. The man that shivered on the brink of sin, Thus steeled and hardened, ventures boldly in. --Creech.

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Shiver Shiv"er, v. t. (Naut.) To cause to shake or tremble, as a sail, by steering close to the wind.

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Shiver Shiv"er, n. The act of shivering or trembling.

Collin's Cobuild Dictionary

(shivers, shivering, shivered) When you shiver, your body shakes slightly because you are cold or frightened. He shivered in the cold... I was sitting on the floor shivering with fear. = shake VERB: V, V with n • Shiver is also a noun. The emptiness here sent shivers down my spine... N-COUNT

Soule's Dictionary of English Synonyms

I. v. a. Shatter, break in pieces, dash to fragments. II. v. n. Shudder, quake, tremble, quiver, shake. III. n. 1. Fragment, bit, piece. 2. Slice, sliver. 3. Tremor, tremulous motion, shivering, shaking, shuddering.

Moby Thesaurus

ache, aching, agitation, all-overs, atomize, bang, be cold, bit, bob, bobble, boot, bounce, break into pieces, break to pieces, break up, bump, burst, butt, charge, chatter, chilblains, chill, chilliness, chilling, chills of fear, chip, chunk, clip, clipping, cold creeps, cold shivers, cold sweat, collop, crash, creeps, crumb, crunch, crush, cryopathy, cut, cut to pieces, cutting, demolish, didder, diffuse, disintegrate, disperse, disquiet, disquietude, disrupt, dither, dithers, dollop, duck bumps, end, explode, falter, fear and trembling, fidget, fidgetiness, fidgets, fission, flap, flip out, flush, flutter, formication, fragment, freak out on, freeze, freeze to death, frisson, frostbite, get high on, glow, go pitapat, gob, gobbet, goose bumps, goose pimples, gooseflesh, grimace, grind, grow cold, have a chill, have an ague, have goose pimples, have the fidgets, have the shakes, heartquake, heave, heaving, heebie-jeebies, horripilate, horripilation, hunk, hustle, implode, inquietude, jactitate, jar, jerk, jig, jigget, jiggle, jimjams, jitters, jog, joggle, jollies, jolt, jostle, jounce, jump, jumps, kibe, kick, lift, lose heat, luff, lump, make mincemeat of, mince, modicum, moiety, morceau, morsel, nervousness, nip, palpitate, palpitation, pant, panting, paring, particle, pash, patch, perish with cold, perturbation, piece, pitapat, pitter-patter, pulverize, quake, quaking, quaver, quavering, quiver, quiver of terror, quivering, quivers, rasher, rattle, restlessness, rictus, rive, rupture, rush, rush of emotion, scatter, scoop, scrap, sensation, shake, shake all over, shakes, shaking, shard, shatter, shaving, shivering, shivers, shock, shred, shudder, slice, sliver, smash, smash up, smatter, smithereen, snack, snatch, snick, snip, snippet, splinter, squash, squirm, squish, stitch, stump, surge of emotion, sweat, swell, swell with emotion, tag, tatter, the shakes, thrill, thrill of fear, thrill to, throb, throbbing, tic, tingle, tingle with excitement, tingling, titillation, toss, toss and turn, tremble, trembles, trembling, tremor, tremor of excitement, trepidation, trepidity, tumble, turn on to, twist and turn, twitch, twitter, uneasiness, unrest, vibrate, wallop, wiggle, willies, wobble, wriggle, writhe