# shiver

Pronunciation: US say "SHIV-ur" /ˈʃɪvɚ/; UK say "SHIV-uh" /ˈʃɪvə/

## Verb

1. To tremble or shake slightly, especially because of cold or fear.
   - Simple: To shake a little because you feel cold or scared.
   - _The hikers began to shiver as the temperature dropped after sunset._
   - _He shivered with fear when he heard footsteps behind him._
4. To break apart into splinters or small fragments.
   - Simple: To break suddenly into many small pieces.
   - _The vase shivered against the stone tiles, scattering shards everywhere._
   - _Cannon fire could shiver a mast in a single shot._
7. To make a sail shake or flap by steering too close to the wind.
   - Simple: To make a sail shake by turning the boat too close to the wind.
   - _A careless turn can shiver the mainsail until it flaps loudly._
   - _She shivered the canvas on purpose to slow the boat near the dock._

## Noun

2. An instance of trembling or shaking, often caused by cold or fear.
   - Simple: A quick shake of the body, usually from cold or fear.
   - _A shiver of excitement passed through the crowd as the band appeared._
   - _She felt a shiver when the door creaked open._
3. An involuntary shaking of the body that occurs as an early response to hypothermia.
   - Simple: Fast shaking of the body that happens when you get too cold.
   - _The first shiver signaled that his core temperature had started to fall._
   - _Paramedics noted a violent shiver, an early warning of hypothermia._
5. A sliver or splinter broken off something, especially glass or stone.
   - Simple: A small sharp piece broken off glass or stone.
   - _A shiver of stone flew off as the chisel struck the block._
   - _Tiny shivers of glass glittered on the workshop floor._
6. A group of sharks, especially a number of them gathered or moving together.
   - Simple: A group of sharks swimming together.
   - _A shiver of sharks gathered around the whale carcass._
   - _The documentary captured an entire shiver hunting in formation._
8. A small wedge, such as one used to fasten the bolt of a window shutter.
   - Simple: A small wedge used to hold a window shutter's bolt in place.
   - _A loose shiver let the shutter bang all through the storm._
   - _The carpenter carved a fresh shiver to secure the rattling bolt._
9. A sheave, or small grooved wheel, inside a pulley over which a rope or cable runs.
   - Simple: The small wheel inside a pulley that a rope runs over.
   - _He greased the shiver so the halyard would run smoothly._
   - _A cracked shiver can jam the entire block and tackle._
10. A type of blue slate, the fine-grained rock that splits easily into flat sheets.
   - Simple: A kind of blue-gray slate, a type of rock.
   - _The quarry yielded a fine blue shiver prized for roofing._
   - _Masons valued shiver for the way it split into clean, flat slabs._
11. A splinter of wood lodged in the skin or flesh. *(dialectal, Norfolk)*
   - Simple: A small piece of wood stuck in your skin.
   - _He winced as a shiver from the old fence dug into his finger._
   - _The nurse removed a shiver of oak buried beneath the boy's nail._

## Noun

12. A thin slice cut from something, especially bread. *(obsolete, UK)*
   - Simple: A thin slice cut from something, such as bread.
   - _The maid laid a shiver of cold meat beside the bread._
   - _He toasted a shiver of bread over the kitchen fire._
13. A slender rod or pin on which something turns or around which thread is wound; a spindle. *(obsolete, UK)*
   - Simple: A thin rod or pin that something turns on.
   - _The spinner fitted a new shiver to her wheel before the day's work._
   - _Thread slipped from the shiver and tangled on the floor._

## Origin

**Meanings 1–3, 7** — The origin is uncertain; it is perhaps an alteration of "chavel," or a frequentative of "sheaf."
**Meanings 4–5, 8–13** — From a Germanic word, probably present in Old English though unattested, cognate with Old High German "scivaro" (German "Schiefer," meaning slate).
**Meaning 6** — Origin uncertain

Source: DictionaryAI, https://dictionaryai.com/define/shiver (written from Wiktionary data, CC BY-SA 4.0: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/).