quake

Etymology

From Middle English quaken, from Old English cwacian (“to quake, tremble, chatter”), from Proto-Germanic *kwakōną (“to shake, quiver, tremble”), from Proto-Indo-European *gʷog- (“to shake, swing”), related to Old English cweċċan (“to shake, swing, move, vibrate, shake off, give up”) (see quitch), Dutch kwakkelen (“to ail, be ailing”), German Quackelei (“chattering”), Danish kvakle (“to bungle”), Latin vexō (“toss, shake violently, jostle, vex”), Irish bogadh (“a move, movement, shift, change”).

noun

1. A trembling or shaking.
   We felt a quake in the apartment every time the train went by.
2. An earthquake, a trembling of the ground with force.
   California is plagued by quakes; there are a few minor ones almost every month.
   Well, everybody talks about the California quakes But the first time I ever felt the earth shake Was in Miami, when Amy touched me. 1985, “Miami, My Amy”, in L.A. to Miami, performed by Keith Whitley

verb

1. (intransitive) To tremble or shake.
   I felt the ground quaking beneath my feet.
2. (intransitive, figurative) To be in a state of fear, shock, amazement, etc., such as might cause one to tremble.