quaver

Plural: quavers

Noun

a tremulous sound
a musical note having the time value of an eighth of a whole note
A trembling shake.
A trembling of the voice, as in speaking or singing.
an eighth note, drawn as a crotchet (quarter note) with a tail.

Verb

Verb Forms: quavered, quavering, quavers

To shake or tremble with a slight, rapid motion.
give off unsteady sounds, alternating in amplitude or frequency
sing or play with trills, alternating with the half note above or below
To shake in a trembling manner.
To use the voice in a trembling manner, as in speaking or singing.
To utter quaveringly.

Examples

His voice began to QUAVER as the opponent laid down a bingo and took the lead.

Origin / Etymology

From Middle English quaveren, frequentative form of quaven, cwavien (“to tremble”), equivalent to quave + -er. Cognate with Low German quabbeln (“to quiver”), German quabbeln, quappeln (“to quiver”). More at quave, quab, quiver.

Synonyms

eighth note, trill, warble, waver

Scrabble Score: 18

quaver: valid Scrabble (US) TWL Word
quaver: valid Scrabble Word in Merriam-Webster MW Dictionary
quaver: valid Scrabble Word in International Collins CSW Dictionary

Words With Friends Score: 20

quaver: valid Words With Friends Word