Quaver

v. i. [imp. & p. p. QUAVERED; p. pr. & vb. n. QUAVERING.] [O. Eng. quave, to shake, to tremble, allied to L. Ger. quabbeln, to shake, to be soft, of fat substances, from quabbel, quabbe, D. kwabbe, kwab, a fat lump of flesh, a dewlap; Icel. quapa, to shake with loose fat, qvapi, qvap, soft and loose, fat. Cf. QUIVER.]

1Sense 1. To tremble; to vibrate; to shake.

The finger . . . moved with a quavering motion. Newton.

2Sense 2. Especially, to shake the voice; to utter or form sound with rapid vibrations, as in singing; to sing with tremulous modulations of voice; also, to produce a shake on a musical instrument.

Now sportive youth Carol incondite rhythms with suiting notes And quaver inharmonious. Philips.

n. 1. A shake or rapid vibration of the voice, or a shake on an instrument of music. 2. (Mus.) An eighth note. See EIGHTH.