quake

The story

1. Proto-Germanic · inherited from*kwakōną“to shake, quiver, tremble”
2. Old English · inherited fromcwacian“to quake, tremble, chatter”
3. Middle English · inherited fromquaken
4. English todayquake

From Middle English quaken, from Old English cwacian (“to quake, tremble, chatter”), from Proto-Germanic *kwakōną (“to shake, quiver, tremble”), itself likely of imitative origin. 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”).

Words from the same roots