Emily Dickinson Lexicon

QUA'VER, v.i. [W. cwibiaw, to quaver, to trill; Sp. quiebro, a musical shake or trill; quiebra, a break, fracture, failure. It coincides in elements with quibble, quiver, whiffle, wabble. The primary sense is to move; hence to break, applied to motion and sound. See Quiver and Vibrate.]

1. To shake the voice; to utter or form sound with rapid vibrations, as in singing; to sing with tremulous modulations of voice. – Bacon.
2. To tremble; to vibrate. The finger … moved with a quavering motion. – Newton.