ˈkweɪvə v. & n. --v. 1 intr. a (esp. of a
voice or
musical sound)
vibrate,
shake,
tremble. b
use trills or shakes in singing. 2 tr. a
sing (a
note or song)
with quavering. b (often foll. by out)
say in a trembling voice. --n. 1 Mus. a note having
the time value of an
eighth of a
semibreve or
half a
crotchet and represented by a
large dot with a
hooked stem.
Also called eighth note. 2 a
trill in singing. 3 a tremble in
speech. øøquaveringly adv. [ME f. quave, perh. f. OE cwafian (unrecorded:
cf. cwacian QUAKE)]