quiver
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quiver¹
- /ˈkwɪvə/ UK
- /ˈkwɪvɚ/ Canada, US
Rhymes with -ɪvə(ɹ)
Where it comes from
From Middle English quiver, from Anglo-Norman quivre, from Old Dutch cocare (source of Dutch koker, and cognate to Old English cocer (“quiver, case”)), from Proto-West Germanic *kokar (“container”), said to be from Hunnic, possibly from Proto-Mongolic *kökexür (“leather vessel for liquids”); see there for more. Replaced early modern cocker, the inherited reflex of that West Germanic word.
The mathematical sense originated as German Köcher in a 1972 paper by Pierre Gabriel; it was likely chosen because a quiver contains arrows, while a digraph contains directed edges (also called "arrows").
noun quivers
- A container for arrows, crossbow bolts or darts, such as those fired from a bow, crossbow or blowgun. Don Pedro: Nay, if Cupid have not spent all his quiver in Venice, thou wilt quake for this shortly.
- A ready storage location for figurative tools or weapons. He's got lots of sales pitches in his quiver.
- A vulva.
- The collective noun for cobras.
- A multidigraph, especially in the context of representation theory.
quiver²
- /ˈkwɪvə/ UK
- /ˈkwɪvɚ/ Canada, US
Rhymes with -ɪvə(ɹ)
Where it comes from
From Middle English quiver, cwiver, from Old English *cwifer, probably related to cwic (“alive”).
adjective more quiver · most quiver
- Nimble, active. [...] there was a little quiver fellow, and 'a would manage you his piece thus; and 'a would about and about, and come you in and come you in.
quiver³
- /ˈkwɪvə/ UK
- /ˈkwɪvɚ/ Canada, US
Rhymes with -ɪvə(ɹ)
Where it comes from
From Middle English quiveren, probably from the adjective.
verb quivers · quivering · quivered
- To shake or move with slight and tremulous motion. The birds chaunt melodie on euerie buſh, The ſnakes^([sic – meaning ſnake]) lies rolled in the chearefull ſunne, The greene leaues quiuer with the cooling winde, And make a checkerd ſhadow on the ground: [...]
noun quivers
- The act of quivering. I feel a quiver every time we kiss / The sky's the limit with a love like this
Quiver⁴
Where it comes from
Corruption of the French Cuivre, from cuivre (“copper”).
proper noun
- A stream in Illinois, United States; in full, Quiver Creek.
- A township in Mason County, Illinois, United States, named after Quiver Creek.
Translations
Every language
noun shaking or moving with a slight trembling motion
| Español | temblor |
|---|---|
| हिन्दी | कम्पन kampan, थर्राना tharrānā |
| Français | tremblement, frisson, frémissement |
| Ελληνικά | ρίγος rígos, τρέμουλο trémoulo |
| Русский | дрожь drožʹ, тре́пет trépet |
noun arrow container
| Español | aljaba, carcaj, goldre, carcaza, carcax |
|---|---|
| 한국어 | 화살통 hwasaltong, 전동 jeondong, 동개 donggae |
| 日本語 | 矢筒 yadzutsu, 箙 ebira |
| 中文 | 箭圖 /箭图 jiàntú, 箭袋 jiàndài, 一袋箭 yī dài jiàn, 箭筒 jiàntǒng, 箙 fú |
| हिन्दी | खोलि kholi, तरकश tarkaś |
| Kiswahili | podo, ziaka, pongono |
| Português | aljava, fáretra, carcás |
| Français | carquois, pharètre |
| Deutsch | Köcher |
| Italiano | faretra, turcasso |
| Ελληνικά | φαρέτρα farétra |
| Română | tolbă |
| Русский | колча́н kolčán, тул tul |
| Tiếng Việt | ống tên, bao tên |
| العربية | جَعْبَة jaʕba |
| עברית | אַשְׁפָּה ashpá |
verb shake or move with slight and tremulous motion
| Español | temblar |
|---|---|
| 日本語 | 揺らめく yurameku |
| 中文 | 顫抖 /颤抖 chàndǒu |
| हिन्दी | थर्राना tharrānā, थरथराना tharathrānā |
| Português | tremer, estremecer |
| Français | frémir |
| Deutsch | flattern, zittern, zucken |
| Italiano | fremere |
| Ελληνικά | τρέμω trémo |
| Русский | дрожа́ть drožátʹ, трепета́ть trepetátʹ, трясти́сь trjastísʹ |
Talk about this word "quiver." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/quiver. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026. quiver. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/quiver "quiver." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/quiver.Cite this
@misc{quiver_2026,
title = {quiver},
howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
year = {2026},
url = {https://micwyn.com/word/quiver},
urldate = {2026-11-06}
}
