Added 10 October 2026
quake
/kweɪk/ noun
In Latin: quassō Wiktionary
noun Definition from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA). Pronunciation from Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org. More about quake at Wordnik → Where our words come from →
-
A trembling or shaking.
We felt a quake in the apartment every time the train went by.
-
An earthquake, a trembling of the ground with force.
California is plagued by quakes; there are a few minor ones almost every month.
- Something devastating, like a strong earthquake.
verb
Origin
From Middle English quaken, from Old English cwacian (“to quake, tremble, chatter”), from Proto-Germanic *kwakōną (“to shake, quiver, tremble”), itself likely of imitative origin. Related to Old English cweċċan (“to shake, swing, move, vibrate, shake off, give up”) (see quitch), Dutch kwakkelen (“to ail, be ailing”), German Quackelei (“chattering”), Danish kvakle (“to bungle”), Latin vexō (“toss, shake violently, jostle, vex”), Irish bogadh (“a move, movement, shift, change”).
From Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org (CC BY-SA)