Crossword clues for quaver
quaver
Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English
The Collaborative International Dictionary
Quaver \Qua"ver\, v. i. [imp. & p. p. Quavered; p. pr. & vb. n. Quavering.] [OE. quaven to shake, to tremble; cf. LG. quabbeln to shake, to be soft, of fat substances, quabbe a fat lump of flesh, a dewlap, D. kwabbe, and E. quiver, v.]
To tremble; to vibrate; to shake.
--Sir I. Newton.Especially, to shake the voice; to utter or form sound with rapid or tremulous vibrations, as in singing; also, to trill on a musical instrument
Quaver \Qua"ver\, v. t. To utter with quavers.
We shall hear her quavering them . . . to some
sprightly airs of the opera.
--Addison.
Quaver \Qua"ver\, n.
A shake, or rapid and tremulous vibration, of the voice, or of an instrument of music.
(Mus.) An eighth note. See Eighth.
Douglas Harper's Etymology Dictionary
"to vibrate, tremble," early 15c., probably a frequentative of cwavien "to tremble, shake" (early 13c.), which probably is related to Low German quabbeln "tremble," and possibly of imitative origin. Meaning "sing in trills or quavers" first recorded 1530s. Related: Quavered; quavering.
1560s, in music, "eighth note," from quaver (v.). Meaning "a tremble in the voice" is from 1748.
Wiktionary
n. 1 a trembling shake. 2 a trembling of the voice, as in speaking or singing. 3 (context music English) an eighth note, drawn as a crotchet (quarter note) with a tail. vb. 1 to shake in a trembling manner. 2 (context intransitive English) to use the voice in a trembling manner, as in speaking or singing. 3 (context transitive English) To utter quaveringly.
WordNet
n. a tremulous sound
a musical note having the time value of an eighth of a whole note [syn: eighth note]
v. give off unsteady sounds, alternating in amplitude or frequency [syn: waver]
sing or play with trills, alternating with the half note above or below [syn: warble, trill]
Usage examples of "quaver".
With a quavering sigh, the girl reclosed her eyes and instantly relapsed into the sleep of trance which was insensibly in the course of the night to merge into natural slumber.
Alison is accepting when he has problems keeping to the beat and when he plays semiquavers as quavers.
He footfalls quavered to the very core of his being as he carefully climbed the stone steps to the presence of the terrifying calf-headed image of the Moloch, the fire god of the nether world.
Dobbs answered pugnaciously in his rough, quavering, overwrought voice.
As the last quavering cry died away, the Marquis nodded a curt acknowledgement, and the kneeling serfs arose, most of them dripping with the sweat of their unwilling exertions, all of them coated with grime.
Long did the punkahs waft their breeze over that brave-hued wheel of pleasure, and the sound of the violins quaver and wail out into the morning.
Alison is accepting when he has problems keeping to the beat and when he plays semiquavers as quavers.
He began to recite the Shema, over and over again, in a quavering voice that grew steadily louder.
Nzz-oonaz said, his voice quavering slightly beneath the combined glare of the Prime and the four speakers facing them.
I could imagine Winifred’s quavering wail as I barged my way through the stolid carollers, yelling so comfortably about the bitter weather.
His voice quavered at the unnaturalness of the risk, not at the mere chanciness and danger of it.
Objectively she was pleased that her voice didn't quaver as she supported Lars's testimony on each count, managing to publicly absolve him from felonious assault as he was, in fact, acting even when he abducted her in her best interests, contractually and personally.
In May of the same year this was further developed by Nap and the Bonies, who, in their Knee Trembler, transferred it to the quaver between the third beat and the fourth.
It was a strange, quavering moan, a galvanizing cross between an alien bass fiddle being played by something with twelve hands and the snore of a sleeping brontosaurus.
Delp regarded the blue point of light, her eyestalks quavering with wonder.