English

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Etymology

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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).

Pronunciation

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Noun

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quake (plural quakes)

  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.
    • 1985, “Miami, My Amy”, in L.A. to Miami, performed by Keith Whitley:
      Well, everybody talks about the California quakes
      But the first time I ever felt the earth shake
      Was in Miami, when Amy touched me.
  3. (figurative) Something devastating, like a strong earthquake.
    • 2024 January 24, Dyan Perry talks to Nick Brodrick, “The industry has given me so much”, in RAIL, number 1001, page 44:
      But HS1 was more exposed to the COVID quake than most given its inherent reliance on international travel, which had collapsed, leaving cross-Channel operator Eurostar stacked with millions of debt.

Hyponyms

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Derived terms

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Translations

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Verb

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quake (third-person singular simple present quakes, present participle quaking, simple past and past participle quaked or (archaic) quoke or (obsolete) quook)

  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.

Derived terms

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Translations

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The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables. See instructions at Wiktionary:Entry layout § Translations.

German

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Pronunciation

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Verb

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quake

  1. inflection of quaken:
    1. first-person singular present
    2. singular imperative
    3. first/third-person singular subjunctive I

Middle English

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Verb

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quake

  1. Alternative form of quaken