quaver

English

An eighth note with stem facing up, an eighth note with stem facing down, and a quaver rest.

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.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈkweɪvə(ɹ)/

  • Audio (Southern England):

    (file)

• Rhymes: -eɪvə(ɹ)

Noun

quaver (plural quavers)

1. A trembling shake.
2. A trembling of the voice, as in speaking or singing.
3. (music) an eighth note, drawn as a crotchet (quarter note) with a tail.
   • 1920 August 27, Katherine Mansfield [pseudonym; Kathleen Mansfield Murry], “The Wind Blows”, in Bliss and Other Stories, London: Constable & Company, published 1920, →OCLC, pages 140–141:

     The crotchets and quavers are dancing up and down the stave like little black boys on a fence.

Derived terms

• semiquaver
• demisemiquaver
• hemidemisemiquaver

Translations

a trembling shake

• Bulgarian: треперене (bg) n (treperene)
• Czech: chvění (cs) n
• Dutch: trilling (nl), beving (nl),
• Georgian: რაკრაკი (raḳraḳi), ტრელი (ṭreli)
• German: Beben (de) n
• Hungarian: reszketés (hu), remegés (hu)
• Romanian: tremur (ro)

a trembling of the voice

• Bulgarian: тремоло n (tremolo)
• Czech: chvění (cs) n, tremolo, trylek (cs) m
• Dutch: vibrato (nl), tremolo (nl),
• Georgian: ხმის კანკალი (xmis ḳanḳali)
• German: Zittern n, Beben (de) n, Trillern n
• Hungarian: remegés (hu)
• Romanian: tremur (ro), tremolo (ro)
• Swedish: skälva (sv)

(music) an eighth note

• Basque: kortxea
• Catalan: corxera (ca) f
• Chinese:

  Cantonese: 八分音符 (baat³ fan¹ jam¹ fu⁴)

  Mandarin: 八分音符 (zh) (bāfēn yīnfú)

• Czech: osminka f, osminová nota
• Dutch: achtste noot
• Finnish: kahdeksasosanuotti (fi)
• French: croche (fr) f
• German: Achtelnote (de) f
• Greek: όγδοο (el) n (ógdoo)
• Hungarian: nyolcad (hu)
• Icelandic: áttundapartsnóta f, áttundipartur m
• Italian: croma (it) f
• Japanese: 八分音符 (hachibun onpu)
• Korean: 팔분음표 (ko) (palbuneumpyo)
• Malay: kuaver
• Maori: orohaurua
• Polish: ósemka (pl) f
• Portuguese: colcheia (pt) f
• Russian: восьма́я но́та f (vosʹmája nóta)
• Scottish Gaelic: caman m
• Slovene: osminka f
• Spanish: corchea (es) f
• Swedish: åttondelsnot (sv) c
• Thai: โน้ตตัวเขบ็ดหนึ่งชั้น (nóot-dtuua-kà-bèt-nʉ̀ng-chán, literally “one layer quaver body note”)
• Vietnamese: nốt móc đơn

The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables. See instructions at Wiktionary:Entry layout § Translations.

Translations to be checked

• Catalan: tremolor (ca)
• Esperanto: okono, okonoto
• Interlingua: tremor
• Spanish: temblor (es)

See also

• breve
• crotchet
• longa
• minim
• semibreve

Verb

quaver (third-person singular simple present quavers, present participle quavering, simple past and past participle quavered)

1. To shake in a trembling manner.
2. (intransitive) To use the voice in a trembling manner, as in speaking or singing.
   • 1982 December 11, Andrea Loewenstein, “The Joys of Community or Holiday-itis Strikes Back”, in Gay Community News, volume 10, number 21, page 12:

     "Aw come on, guys!" The woman, clearly overwhelmed by the force of the two friends' personalities, quavered on the point of tears.

3. (transitive) To utter quaveringly.
   • 1711 November 5 (Gregorian calendar), [Joseph Addison; Richard Steele et al.], “THURSDAY, October 25, 1711”, in The Spectator, number 205; republished in Alexander Chalmers, editor, The Spectator; a New Edition, […], volume III, New York, N.Y.: D[aniel] Appleton & Company, 1853, →OCLC:

     We shall hear her quavering them […] to some sprightly airs of the opera.

     The spelling has been modernized.

Translations

to shake

• Bulgarian: треперя (bg) (treperja)
• Czech: chvět se (cs) impf, třást se (cs) impf
• German: zittern (de)
• Hungarian: remeg (hu), reszket (hu)

to use the voice in a trembling manner

• Bulgarian: тремолирам (tremoliram)
• German: trillern (de)
• Hungarian: trillázik (hu)

The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables. See instructions at Wiktionary:Entry layout § Translations.

Translations to be checked

• Catalan: ^{(please verify)} tremolar (ca)
• Esperanto: ^{(please verify)} tremi
• Interlingua: ^{(please verify)} tremer, ^{(please verify)} tremular
• Spanish: ^{(please verify)} temblar (es)