the.com/shiver
your body's involuntary attempt to start a fire by shaking very, very hard
means To shake or tremble slightly, usually from cold, fear, or excitement.
from From Middle English chiveren, possibly an alteration of an earlier word related to the chattering of teeth — the sound the body makes when it can't hold still. It's tangled in the family of trembling words (shudder, shake) where the meaning practically rattles on the tongue. Note the nautical 'shiver me timbers' is a different cousin: there 'shiver' means to splinter or break apart, from a separate Germanic root meaning a sliver or fragment.
- how it works
- Muscles spasm rapidly to generate body heat
- the goosebumps
- Tiny muscles raise hairs to trap warm air
- fever twist
- You shiver when feverish to raise temperature higher
- not just cold
- Fear and emotion trigger the same reflex
- old word
- Rooted in a term meaning to splinter or fragment
the shivering isles — province in the elder scrolls iv: oblivion, a video game realm where players can visit and experience extreme environments
shiver me timbers — famous pirate exclamation popularized in 18th-century maritime fiction and robert louis stevenson's treasure island