Word of the Day

: March 16, 2009

tremulous

adjective TREM-yuh-luss

What It Means

1 : marked by trembling or tremors : quivering

2 : timorous, timid

tremulous in Context

I hardly recognized my own tremulous voice telling the EMT I was pretty sure I was okay.

Did You Know?

Do you suspect that "tremulous" must be closely related to "tremble"? If so, you're right. Both of those words derive from the Latin verb "tremere," which means "to tremble." Some other English offspring of "tremere" are "tremor," "tremendous," "temblor" (another word for earthquake), and "tremolo" (a term that describes a vibrating and quavering musical effect that was particularly popular for electric guitars and organs in the 1970s).

*Indicates the sense illustrated in the example sentenc