Webster 1913 Edition
imp. & p. p.
p. pr. & vb. n.
quavento shake, to tremble; cf. LG.
quabbelnto shake, to be soft, of fat substances,
quabbea fat lump of flesh, a dewlap, D.
kwabbe, and E.
To tremble; to vibrate; to shake.
Sir I. Newton.
Especially, to shake the voice; to utter or form sound with rapid or tremulous vibrations, as in singing; also, to trill on a musical instrument
To utter with quavers.
We shall hear her
quaveringthem . . . to some sprightly airs of the opera.
A shake, or rapid and tremulous vibration, of the voice, or of an instrument of music.
An eighth note. See
Webster 1828 Edition
1.To shake the voice; to utter or form sound with rapid vibrations, as in singing; to sing with tremulous modulations of voice.
2.To tremble; to vibrate.
The finger - moved with a quavering motion.
1.A shake or rapid vibration of the voice, or a shake on an instrument of music.
2.A note and measure of time in music, equal to half a crotchet or the eighth of a semibreve.