tremor
/ˈtrɛmə
/noun
1An involuntary quivering movement: a disorder that causes tremors and muscle rigidity...
- As a result, patients suffer from muscle tremors, rigidity of movement, and balance and coordination problems.
- The main symptoms are muscle stiffness, slowness of movement and involuntary tremor.
- Parkinson's disease is a common neurodegenerative disorder, predominantly of the elderly, manifested by rigidity, tremors and movement difficulty.
Synonyms
trembling, shaking, shakiness, tremble, shake, quivering, quiver, twitching, twitch, convulsion, vibration, juddering, judder;
quavering, quaver;
tic
1.1A tremble or quiver in a person’s voice.I listen out for unnatural noises, analyse the stewardess's voice for any tremors of concern and, in the unfortunate event that I find myself sitting over the wing, scan the metal parts for signs of wear and tear....
- I can feel a tremor in my voice, the fifth or sixth time that I call her name.
- The tremor in his voice reflected a man looking over the edge of a very deep abyss.
1.2A sudden feeling of fear or excitement: a tremor of unease...
- Into this show about a quarter of a hour though and Kangaroo Kid used two words which were send tremors of fear through the crowd - ‘Audience participation’.
- It seemed that the whole of nature was affected by a tremor of excitement, adoring the creator.
- Jaime felt a tremor of fear and doubt surge through her body.
Synonyms
frisson, shiver, spasm, thrill, tingle, stab, dart, shaft;
wave, surge, rush, ripple
2 (also earth tremor) A slight earthquake.When the major explosion occurred, the seismological unit of Tehran University recorded an earth tremor measuring 3,6 on the Richter scale in the same area - possibly a reading sparked by the force of the blast....
- Anyone who believed in omens would have been wondering what to make of the earth tremor which shook York the day before New Year's Eve, 1944.
- Johannesburg felt the after-effects of an earth tremor, with a preliminary reading of five on the Richter Scale, which struck near Klerksdorp just before 1pm, on 9 March 2005.
Synonyms
earthquake, earth tremor, shock, foreshock, aftershock
informal quake, shake
North American informal tremblor
verb [no object]
Undergo a tremor or tremors: a muscle in my jaw tremored uncontrollably...
- The door tremored under the pounding and shook me hard.
- She was up there on the stage in her wheelchair, her bald head covered with a blue cotton hat, pale and thin and weak and tremoring.
- Her body tremored in his arms as a second song began.
Origin
Early 17th century: from Latin tremor, from tremere 'to tremble'.