Standard Lemma guide
Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.
Sound
Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.
No pronunciation record was provided for this word.
verb
To shiver; to tremble, shake, quiver.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: intransitive, obsolete, rare
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
History
From Middle English biveren, beveren (“to tremble”), frequentative form of Old English beofian, bifian (“to tremble, be moved, shake, quake”), from Proto-West Germanic *bibēn, from Proto-Germanic *bibāną (“to quake, shiver”). Cognate with West Frisian bibberje (“to shiver”), Dutch bibberen (“to shiver, quiver”), Low German beveren (“to shiver”), German Low German bevern (“to tremble”), German bibbern (“to shiver”). Related also to Dutch beven (“to quake”), German beben (“to quake, tremble”), Swedish bäva (“to quake, tremble”), Icelandic bifa (“to budge, be moved”), Latin foedus (“disgusting, shocking, abominable, heinous”).
