earthquake

Etymology

From Middle English erthequake, corresponding to earth + quake. Displaced Old English eorþbeofung (literally “earth shaking”).

noun

1. A shaking of the ground, caused by volcanic activity or movement around geologic faults.
   Last year's earthquake crushed his house, his livelihood and very nearly his leg, he said, pointing to a plastered limb that refuses to heal. 6 Oct 2006, Declan Walsh, The Guardian
2. (planetary geology) Such a quake specifically occurring on the planet Earth, as opposed to other celestial bodies.
   Since the response of some man-made structures to the ground motion near the epicenter is highly dependent on frequency, a significant difference in potential damage to the structures is expected between earthquakes and moonquakes. 1988, Jürgen Oberst, Yosio Nakamura, “A seismic risk for the lunar base”, in The Second Conference on Lunar Bases and Space Activities of the 21st Century, volume 1, NASA, pages 231–233
   The wave patterns, too, are strikingly different: The secondary (S) waves and surface waves on lunar seismograms are not generally as clearly defined and distinct as are those of earthquakes. 2006, Bruce A. Bolt, Earthquakes, Fifth Edition
3. (figurative) A sudden and intense upheaval; a severely disruptive event.
   As we have seen, economic earthquakes often result in political shockwaves. […] He highlights a correlation between those states with the highest robot density and those states that unexpectedly swung behind Donald Trump in the 2016 presidential election, namely Michigan, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin. 2019-07-11, John Thornhill, “Does tech threaten to rerun the worst of the Industrial Revolution?”, in Financial Times

verb

1. (intransitive) To undergo an earthquake.
   Watch the Philippines very closely for the next little while. There is rumbling and earthquaking deep within Pinatubo and increased earthquaking within Mayon. 1993, Gyeorgos C. Hatonn, The Best of Times: The Worst of Times, page 129