shudder

shudder
   If you suddenly shudder or shiver, for no apparent reason, it is still likely that you will say that 'someone has just walked over your grave', meaning, of course, the site of your future grave. The first known written evidence for this notion is in Jonathan Swift's Polite Conversation (1738, i. 4). Occasional variations stipulate what it is that is doing the walking - a donkey or even, as suggested by the pimples associated with a shiver, a goose. Opie and Tatem, 1989: 356.

A Dictionary of English folklore. . 2014.

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  • shudder at — ˈshudder at [transitive] [present tense I/you/we/they shudder at he/she/it shudders at present participle shuddering at past tense shuddered at …   Useful english dictionary

  • Shudder — Shud der, v. i. [imp. & p. p. {Shuddered};p. pr. & vb. n. {Shuddering}.] [OE. shoderen, schuderen; akin to LG. schuddern, D. schudden to shake, OS. skuddian, G. schaudern to shudder, sch[ u]tteln to shake, sch[ u]tten to pour, to shed, OHG.… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • shudder — (v.) early 14c., possibly from M.Du. schuderen to shudder, or M.L.G. schoderen, both from P.Gmc. *skud . Related: Shuddered; shuddering. The noun is from c.1600 …   Etymology dictionary

  • Shudder — Shud der, n. The act of shuddering, as with fear. Shak. [1913 Webster] …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • shudder — vb shiver, quiver, quaver, *shake, tremble, quake, totter, wobble, teeter, shimmy, dither …   New Dictionary of Synonyms

  • shudder — [v] shake, quiver convulse, dither, gyrate, jitter, quake, shimmy, shiver, tremble, tremor, twitter, wave; concepts 34,150,152 Ant. steady …   New thesaurus

  • shudder — ► VERB ▪ tremble or shake convulsively, especially as a result of fear or repugnance. ► NOUN ▪ an act of shuddering. DERIVATIVES shuddery adjective. ORIGIN Dutch sch deren …   English terms dictionary

  • shudder — [shud′ər] vi. [ME schoderen, akin to Ger schaudern, to feel dread, OFris skedda, to shake < IE base * (s)kut , to shake > Lith kutù, to shake up] to shake or tremble suddenly and violently, as in horror or extreme disgust n. the act of… …   English World dictionary

  • shudder — {{Roman}}I.{{/Roman}} noun ADJECTIVE ▪ little, slight, small, tiny ▪ deep, great, violent ▪ involuntary …   Collocations dictionary

  • shudder — shud|der1 [ˈʃʌdə US ər] v [Date: 1100 1200; Origin: Probably from [i]Middle Low German schoderen or Middle Dutch shuderen] 1.) to shake for a short time because you are afraid or cold, or because you think something is very unpleasant ▪ Maria… …   Dictionary of contemporary English

  • shudder — [[t]ʃʌ̱də(r)[/t]] shudders, shuddering, shuddered 1) VERB If you shudder, you shake with fear, horror, or disgust, or because you are cold. [V prep/adv] Lloyd had urged her to eat caviar. She had shuddered at the thought... [V prep/adv] Elaine… …   English dictionary

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