Etymology tree
Proto-Indo-European *skek-der.
Proto-Germanic *skakaną
Proto-West Germanic *skakan
Old English sċacan
Middle English schaken
English shake
From Middle English schaken, from Old English sċeacan, sċacan (“to shake”), from Proto-West Germanic *skakan, from Proto-Germanic *skakaną (“to shake, swing, escape”), from Proto-Indo-European *(s)keg-, *(s)kek- (“to jump, move”).
Cognate with Scots schake, schack (“to shake”), West Frisian schaekje (“to shake”), Dutch schaken (“to elope, make clean, shake”), Low German schaken (“to move, shift, push, shake”) and schacken (“to shake, shock”), Old Norse skaka (“to shake”), Norwegian Nynorsk skaka (“to shake”), Swedish skaka (“to shake”), Danish skage (“to shake”), Dutch schokken (“to shake, shock”), Russian скака́ть (skakátʹ, “to jump”). More at shock.
Meanings
(countable, uncountable) The act of shaking or being shaken; tremulous or back-and-forth motion.
The cat gave the mouse a shake.
She replied in the negative, with a shake of her head.
(countable, plural-normally, uncountable) A twitch, a spasm, a tremor.
And when the princely Perſean Diadem,
Shall ouerweigh his wearie witleſſe head,
And fall like mellowed fruit, with ſhakes of death,
In faire Perſea noble Tamburlain
Shall be my Regent, and remaine as King: c. 1587–1588 (date written), [Christopher Marlowe], Tamburlaine the Great. […] The First Part […], 2nd edition, part 1, London: […] [R. Robinson for] Richard Iones, […], published 1592, →OCLC; reprinted as Tamburlaine the Great (A Scolar Press Facsimile), Menston, Yorkshire; London: Scolar Press, 1973, →ISBN, Act II, scene i:
(countable, qualifier:usually preceded by definite article, uncountable) A dance popular in the 1960s in which the head, limbs, and body are shaken.
The snake did the frug, the monkey did the shake. The crowd, mostly young couples, tourists and kids, loved it. 1969, Allen V. Ross, Vice in Bombay, London: Tallis Press, page 52:
(countable, uncountable) A milkshake.
(countable, uncountable) A beverage made by adding ice cream to a (usually carbonated) drink; a float.
(countable, uncountable) Shake cannabis, small, leafy fragments of cannabis that gather at the bottom of a bag of marijuana.
(US, slang, uncountable) An adulterant added to cocaine powder.
[…] most suppliers will allow up to 120 grams of shake to a kilo, or 12 percent; kilo-level buyers are usually unhappy if they find more. 1989, Terry Williams, chapter 2, in The Cocaine Kids, Reading, MA: Addison-Wesley, page 35:
(countable, uncountable) A crack or split between the growth rings in wood.
(countable, uncountable) A fissure in rock or earth.
(countable, uncountable) A type of wooden shingle originally made from split timber.
There is a comet's tail of spilled cream across the cedar shakes and he will have to climb down for the turpentine. 2003, Janette Turner Hospital, Due Preparations for the Plague, A&R Classics, published 2014, page 4:
(countable, informal, uncountable) Instant, second. (Especially in two shakes.)
“And do you realize that in a few shakes I've got to show up at dinner and have Mrs Cream being very, very kind to me? It hurts the pride of the Woosters, Jeeves.” 1960, P[elham] G[renville] Wodehouse, chapter XXI, in Jeeves in the Offing, London: Herbert Jenkins, →OCLC:
(countable, uncountable) One of the staves of a hogshead or barrel taken apart.
Empty casks are[…]taken to pieces, and the staves closely packed up in a cylindrical form, constituting what are called shakes or packs 1820, William Scoresby, An Account of the Arctic Regions:
(countable, uncountable) A rapid alternation of a principal tone with another represented on the next degree of the staff above or below it; a trill.
(countable, uncountable) In singing, notes (usually high ones) sung vibrato.
A Signora Rossinuola, with the face of a goddess, and the voice of an angel, made her first curtsy that evening to the Neapolitans. She was received with the most rapturous applause. Nothing was heard of next day but her shake and her smile. 1831, L[etitia] E[lizabeth] L[andon], chapter XIV, in Romance and Reality. […], volume III, London: Henry Colburn and Richard Bentley, […], →OCLC, page 263:
(countable, uncountable) A shook of staves and headings.
(UK, countable, dialectal, uncountable) The redshank, so called from the nodding of its head while on the ground.
(countable, uncountable) A shock or disturbance.
As long as I had seen Mr Holdsworth in the rooms at the little inn at Hensleydale, where I had been accustomed to look upon him as an invalid, I had not been aware of the visible shake his fever had given to his health. 1864, Elizabeth Gaskell, Cousin Phillis:
(countable, historical, qualifier:nuclear physics, uncountable) An informal unit of time equal to 10 nanoseconds.
Most of the fission energy was released in the last few generations, so if the device blew itself apart before about fifty-seven shakes had elapsed, […] 2003, Ruth H. Howes, Caroline L. Herzenberg, Their Day in the Sun: Women of the Manhattan Project, page 97:
Etymology tree
Proto-Indo-European *skek-der.
Proto-Germanic *skakaną
Proto-West Germanic *skakan
Old English sċacan
Middle English schaken
English shake
From Middle English schaken, from Old English sċeacan, sċacan (“to shake”), from Proto-West Germanic *skakan, from Proto-Germanic *skakaną (“to shake, swing, escape”), from Proto-Indo-European *(s)keg-, *(s)kek- (“to jump, move”).
Cognate with Scots schake, schack (“to shake”), West Frisian schaekje (“to shake”), Dutch schaken (“to elope, make clean, shake”), Low German schaken (“to move, shift, push, shake”) and schacken (“to shake, shock”), Old Norse skaka (“to shake”), Norwegian Nynorsk skaka (“to shake”), Swedish skaka (“to shake”), Danish skage (“to shake”), Dutch schokken (“to shake, shock”), Russian скака́ть (skakátʹ, “to jump”). More at shock.
Meanings
(ergative, transitive) To cause (something) to move rapidly in opposite directions alternatingly.
Meanwhile Nanny Broome was recovering from her initial panic and now seemed anxious to make up for any kudos she might have lost, by exerting her personality to the utmost. She took the policeman's helmet and placed it on a chair, and unfolded his tunic to shake it and fold it up again for him. 1963, Margery Allingham, “Meeting Point”, in The China Governess: A Mystery, London: Chatto & Windus, →OCLC, page 232:
The earthquake shook the building.
He shook the can of soda for thirty seconds before delivering it to me, so that, when I popped it open, soda went everywhere.
(transitive) To move (one's head) from side to side, especially to indicate refusal, reluctance, or disapproval.
Shaking his head, he kept repeating “No, no, no”.
I became alſo a reproch vnto them: when they looked vpon me, they ſhaked their heads. 1611, The Holy Bible, […] (King James Version), London: […] Robert Barker, […], →OCLC, Psalms 109:25, column 1:
To move or remove by agitating; to throw off by a jolting or vibrating motion.
The door finally shook free of its hinges.
[…]Shake off the golden ſlumber of repoſe;[…] c. 1607–1608 (date written), William Shakespeare, [George Wilkins?], The Late, and Much Admired Play, Called Pericles, Prince of Tyre. […], London: […] [William White and Thomas Creede] for Henry Gosson, […], published 1609, →OCLC, [Act III, scene ii]:
But indeed this Shame was a bold Villain; I could ſcarce ſhake him out of my company; [...] 1680, John Bunyan, The Pilgrim’s Progress from This World, to That which is to Come: […], 5th edition, Edinburgh: […] Iohn Cairns, […], →OCLC, page 70:
to shake fruit down from a tree
(transitive) To disturb emotionally; to shock.
Since the launch early last year of […] two Silicon Valley start-ups offering free education through MOOCs, massive open online courses, the ivory towers of academia have been shaken to their foundations. University brands built in some cases over centuries have been forced to contemplate the possibility that information technology will rapidly make their existing business model obsolete. 2013 July 20, “The attack of the MOOCs”, in The Economist, volume 408, number 8845:
He was shaken by what had happened.
Her father’s death shook her terribly.
(idiomatic, transitive) To lose, evade, or get rid of (something).
Nothing could shake his faith.
I can’t shake the feeling that I forgot something.
(intransitive) To move from side to side.
She shook with grief.
The slightest effort made the patient cough. He would stand leaning on a stick and holding a hand to his side, and when the paroxysm had passed it left him shaking. 1918, W[illiam] B[abington] Maxwell, chapter XXIII, in The Mirror and the Lamp, Indianapolis, Ind.: The Bobbs-Merrill Company, →OCLC:
(as "shake on", intransitive, usually) To shake hands.
OK, let’s shake on it.
(intransitive) To dance.
She was shaking it on the dance floor.
(transitive) To give a tremulous tone to; to trill.
to shake a note in music
(figuratively, transitive) To threaten to overthrow.
The story of Ms. He and her mother began in the early 1960s, shortly before the Cultural Revolution shook China. 2014 January 20, Didi Kirsten Tatlow, “‘She. Herself. Naked.': The Art of He Chengyao”, in The New York Times, →ISSN, →OCLC, archived from the original on 16 Aug 2023, Sinosphere:
The experience shook my religious belief.
(figuratively, intransitive) To be agitated; to lose firmness.
ang cwacian (intransitive: to move from side to side) · es zabuquear (transitive: to cause to move) · izh raputtaa (transitive: to cause to move) · km អង្រន់ (transitive: to cause to move) · az sıxmaq (intransitive: to shake hands) · uk поти́скувати (intransitive: to shake hands) · cs třást (intransitive: to move from side to side) · uk трясти́ся (intransitive: to move from side to side) · mi rawharawha (transitive: to cause to move) · sq shkund (transitive: to cause to move) · chr ᎠᏖᎸᎲᏍᎦ (transitive: to cause to move) · ru стря́хивать (transitive: to lose, evade) · sl otresti se (transitive: to lose, evade) · lad menear (intransitive: to move from side to side) · es estremecer (transitive: to disturb emotionally) · nl afschudden (transitive: to lose, evade) · cmn 震顫 /震颤 (intransitive: to move from side to side) · az silkələmək (transitive: to cause to move) · ja 振り落とす (transitive: to lose, evade) · ro agita (transitive: to cause to move) · km ញាក់ (intransitive: to dance) · ru трясти́ (transitive: to cause to move) · pt cumprimentar-se (intransitive: to shake hands) · txb wip- (transitive: to cause to move) · nl schudden (transitive: to cause to move) · as মথ (transitive: to cause to move) · ro scăpa (transitive: to lose, evade) · om kerkeruu (intransitive: to move from side to side) · et raputama (transitive: to cause to move) · es agitar (transitive: to cause to move) · uk потрясти́ (transitive: to disturb emotionally) · pt mexer com (transitive: to disturb emotionally) · ang āhrēran (transitive: to cause to move) · it scioccare (transitive: to disturb emotionally) · ja 動揺させる (transitive: to disturb emotionally) · ar هَزَّ (transitive: to cause to move) · fi kätellä (intransitive: to shake hands) · mi hauruturutu (transitive: to cause to move) · gl acanear (transitive: to cause to move) · bg клатя (transitive: to cause to move) · sh trésti (transitive: to cause to move) · oc secodre (transitive: to cause to move) · mi ngarue (intransitive: to move from side to side) · gl abanear (transitive: to cause to move) · ba һелкеү (transitive: to cause to move) · enm schaken (intransitive: to move from side to side) · hu megráz (transitive: to disturb emotionally) · ja 振る (transitive: to cause to move) · pl wstrząsnąć (transitive: to disturb emotionally) · cmn 哆嗦 (intransitive: to move from side to side) · nds-de schüdden (transitive: to cause to move) · mi whakakarekare (transitive: to cause to move) · fi ravistaa (transitive: to cause to move) · ja 揺れる (intransitive: to move from side to side) · cmn 握手 (intransitive: to shake hands) · el σείω (transitive: to cause to move) · pl trząść (transitive: to cause to move) · gl abanar (transitive: to cause to move) · ko 떨다 (intransitive: to move from side to side) · dsb tśěsć se (intransitive: to move from side to side) · cic yollichi (intransitive: to move from side to side) · sv skaka (på) (to move one's head from side to side) · hy սասանել (transitive: to lose, evade) · he נִיעֵר (transitive: to cause to move) · fr secouer (transitive: to cause to move) · enm schaken (transitive: to disturb emotionally) · ang cweċċan (transitive: to cause to move) · arc ܢܦܨ (transitive: to cause to move) · it ballare (intransitive: to dance) · az sarsıtmaq (transitive: to cause to move) · pt sacudir a cabeça (to move one's head from side to side) · de schütteln (intransitive: to shake hands) · as ঘোঁট (transitive: to cause to move) · ru стряхну́ть (transitive: to lose, evade) · ka ნჯღრევა (transitive: to cause to move) · es alterar (transitive: to disturb emotionally) · es zabucar (transitive: to cause to move) · pl podać sobie dłonie (intransitive: to shake hands) · pl pozbyć się (transitive: to lose, evade) · sl stresti (intransitive: to shake hands) · is hrista (transitive: to cause to move) · mk тресе (transitive: to cause to move) · to lulu (transitive: to cause to move) · nb ryste (to move one's head from side to side) · es sacudir (transitive: to cause to move) · gl bandear (transitive: to cause to move) · hy թափ տալ (to move one's head from side to side) · bg отърсвам се (transitive: to lose, evade) · es agitar (transitive: to disturb emotionally) · it agitare (transitive: to cause to move) · lad menear (transitive: to cause to move) · es zangolotear (transitive: to cause to move) · wa scheure (transitive: to cause to move) · hi हिलना (intransitive: to move from side to side) · it stringere la mano (intransitive: to shake hands) · fr secouer (transitive: to lose, evade) · pt sacudir (transitive: to cause to move) · sv skaka (transitive: to disturb emotionally) · hy թափահարել (to move one's head from side to side) · mi ngāruerue (intransitive: to move from side to side) · es zarandear (transitive: to cause to move) · ja 揺する (transitive: to cause to move) · uk поти́снути (intransitive: to shake hands) · hy թափահարել (transitive: to cause to move) · bg клатя (to move one's head from side to side) · hu remeg (intransitive: to move from side to side) · az sarsılmaq (intransitive: to move from side to side) · lv kratīt (transitive: to cause to move) · de erschüttern (transitive: to cause to move) · gl abalar (transitive: to cause to move) · bg разтърсвам (transitive: to disturb emotionally) · lb stuckelen (transitive: to cause to move) · ru избавля́ться (transitive: to lose, evade) · ja 狼狽させる (transitive: to disturb emotionally) · liv kratīņtõ (transitive: to cause to move) · km ចាប់ដៃ (intransitive: to shake hands) · es vapulear (transitive: to cause to move) · bg ръкувам се (intransitive: to shake hands) · be трэ́сці (transitive: to cause to move) · fi paiskata kättä (intransitive: to shake hands) · uk потряса́ти (transitive: to disturb emotionally) · ja 揺らす (transitive: to cause to move) · dsb tśěsć (transitive: to cause to move) · da ryste (transitive: to cause to move) · ga croith (transitive: to cause to move) · sv skaka hand (på) (intransitive: to shake hands) · fi järkyttää (transitive: to disturb emotionally) · af skud (transitive: to cause to move) · it agitarsi (intransitive: to move from side to side) · srn seki (transitive: to cause to move) · es afectar (transitive: to disturb emotionally) · no handhilse (intransitive: to shake hands) · mi whakaoioi (transitive: to cause to move) · it scuotere (transitive: to cause to move) · th สั่น (intransitive: to move from side to side) · ja 振り払う (transitive: to lose, evade) · ru изба́виться (transitive: to lose, evade) · ckb شەقاندِنەوە (intransitive: to move from side to side) · gd crath (transitive: to cause to move) · cho ilhkolichi (transitive: to cause to move) · ro dansa (intransitive: to dance) · it scuotere la testa (to move one's head from side to side) · ko 흔들리다 (transitive: to cause to move) · az bulamaq (to move one's head from side to side) · sa वे॒पय॑ति (transitive: to cause to move) · cho ilhkoli (intransitive: to move from side to side) · th เขย่า (transitive: to cause to move) · lv purināt (transitive: to cause to move) · fr se serrer la main (intransitive: to shake hands) · es cernear (transitive: to cause to move) · sl tresti se (intransitive: to move from side to side) · pt abanar (to move one's head from side to side) · da give hånd på (intransitive: to shake hands) · nah cuecuechiuia (intransitive: to move from side to side) · jam shiek (transitive: to cause to move) · cs potřást si rukama (intransitive: to shake hands) · km អង្រួន (transitive: to cause to move) · vi bắt tay (intransitive: to shake hands) · mi harirū (intransitive: to shake hands) · nl schokken (transitive: to disturb emotionally) · no riste (transitive: to cause to move) · he זִעְזֵעַ (transitive: to disturb emotionally) · az titrəmək (intransitive: to move from side to side) · la commoveō (transitive: to cause to move) · da ryste af sig (transitive: to lose, evade) · eo skui (transitive: to cause to move) · ja 握手する (intransitive: to shake hands) · oc agitar (transitive: to cause to move) · mi whakangāueue (transitive: to cause to move) · mi tārurerure (intransitive: to move from side to side) · de händeschütteln (intransitive: to shake hands) · az laxlamaq (intransitive: to move from side to side) · ca agitar (transitive: to cause to move) · no riste (to move one's head from side to side) · ckb شەقاندن (transitive: to cause to move) · vi lắc (transitive: to cause to move) · fr agiter (transitive: to cause to move) · orv трясти (transitive: to cause to move) · nah cuecuexi (intransitive: to move from side to side) · my လှုပ် (intransitive: to move from side to side) · pt abanar-se (intransitive: to dance) · de schütteln (intransitive: to move from side to side) · nl handen schudden (intransitive: to shake hands) · sh тре́сти (transitive: to cause to move) · enm schaken (transitive: to cause to move) · da ryste (transitive: to disturb emotionally) · gl sacudir (transitive: to cause to move) · lb rëselen (transitive: to cause to move) · ro scutura (transitive: to cause to move) · as লৰা (transitive: to cause to move) · mi haurui (transitive: to cause to move) · it atterrire (transitive: to disturb emotionally) · es zamaquear (transitive: to cause to move) · sv shejka (intransitive: to dance) · da rokke (intransitive: to move from side to side) · uk хита́тися (intransitive: to move from side to side) · ru потряса́ть (transitive: to disturb emotionally) · grc σείω (transitive: to cause to move) · ru потрясти́ (transitive: to disturb emotionally) · hy սասանել (transitive: to disturb emotionally) · az silmək (transitive: to lose, evade) · es solapear (transitive: to cause to move) · my ခါ (transitive: to cause to move) · de schütteln (to move one's head from side to side) · bqi شندنیدن (transitive: to cause to move) · cmn 顫慄 /颤栗 (intransitive: to move from side to side) · es jamaquear (transitive: to cause to move) · nl schudden (to move one's head from side to side) · sv skaka av sig (transitive: to lose, evade) · he זִעְזֵעַ (transitive: to cause to move) · sa इङ्गति (transitive: to cause to move) · ml കുലുങ്ങുക (intransitive: to move from side to side) · bg треса́ (transitive: to cause to move) · es samaquear (transitive: to cause to move) · ko 악수하다 (intransitive: to shake hands) · pl potrząsnąć (transitive: to cause to move) · liv repțõ (transitive: to cause to move) · ka ქნევა (transitive: to cause to move) · fi täristä (intransitive: to move from side to side) · fr secouer (transitive: to disturb emotionally) · az laxlatmaq (transitive: to cause to move) · pt abalar (transitive: to disturb emotionally) · pt evadir (transitive: to lose, evade) · no shake (intransitive: to dance) · ro da mâna (intransitive: to shake hands) · da chokere (transitive: to disturb emotionally) · fi pudistaa (to move one's head from side to side) · hy սասանել (transitive: to cause to move) · ta ஆட்டு (transitive: to cause to move) · uk труси́ти (transitive: to cause to move) · sv skaka (intransitive: to move from side to side) · fr se secouer (intransitive: to move from side to side) · ru пожима́ть (intransitive: to shake hands) · cu трѧсти (transitive: to cause to move) · cs třást (transitive: to cause to move) · fr serrer (intransitive: to shake hands) · it tremare (intransitive: to move from side to side) · bg клатя се (intransitive: to move from side to side) · is takast í hendur (intransitive: to shake hands) · nb håndhilse (intransitive: to shake hands) · pt apertar (as mãos) (intransitive: to shake hands) · mi kopekope (transitive: to cause to move) · fi vavista (intransitive: to move from side to side) · sw kutikisa (transitive: to cause to move) · ml കുലുക്കുക (transitive: to cause to move) · az qurtulmaq (transitive: to lose, evade) · mi kereū (intransitive: to move from side to side) · izh puistaa (transitive: to cause to move) · sq lëkund (transitive: to cause to move) · pt agitar (transitive: to cause to move) · sk triasť (transitive: to cause to move) · gl axitar (transitive: to cause to move) · gl rebillar (intransitive: to move from side to side) · chy -a'xaót (intransitive: to shake hands) · az sarsıtmaq (transitive: to disturb emotionally) · mi ruirui (transitive: to cause to move) · fr secouer (to move one's head from side to side) · is dansa (intransitive: to dance) · uk трясти́ (transitive: to cause to move) · sl pretresti (transitive: to disturb emotionally) · pt sacudir (intransitive: to move from side to side) · vi lay (transitive: to cause to move) · hi हिलाना (transitive: to cause to move) · gl tremer (intransitive: to move from side to side) · cmn 搖 /摇 (transitive: to cause to move) · ca sacsejar (transitive: to cause to move) · it scuotere (transitive: to disturb emotionally) · ru пожа́ть (intransitive: to shake hands) · hy թափ տալ (transitive: to cause to move) · fi tanssia (intransitive: to dance) · fi ravistella (transitive: to cause to move) · de erschüttern (transitive: to disturb emotionally) · fi karistaa (transitive: to lose, evade) · ar هَزَّ (intransitive: to move from side to side) · nb ryste (transitive: to disturb emotionally) · de schütteln (transitive: to cause to move) · km ធ្វើក្បាលងីងើ (to move one's head from side to side) · fi heristää (transitive: to cause to move) · hu ráz (transitive: to cause to move) · sv skaka (transitive: to cause to move) · pt tremer (intransitive: to move from side to side) · ro agita (transitive: to disturb emotionally) · ko 흔들다 (intransitive: to move from side to side) · ka გაქნევა (to move one's head from side to side) · el τραντάζω (transitive: to cause to move) · cmn 發抖 /发抖 (intransitive: to move from side to side) · fa تکاندن (transitive: to cause to move) · ru трясти́сь (intransitive: to move from side to side) · sl trésti (transitive: to cause to move) · ru шата́ться (intransitive: to move from side to side) · mi tīoioi (intransitive: to move from side to side) · tpi guria (intransitive: to move from side to side) · ja 拭う (transitive: to lose, evade) · la commoveō (transitive: to disturb emotionally) · cmn 顫抖 /颤抖 (intransitive: to move from side to side)