1610s (intransitive) "move to and fro;" 1660s, "swing to and fro;" from Latin vibratus, past participle of vibrare "set in tremulous motion, move quickly to and fro, quiver, tremble, shake," from PIE *wib-ro-, from root *weip- "to turn, vacillate, tremble ecstatically, move quickly to and fro." Transitive sense "cause to vibrate" is from c. 1700. Related: Vibrated; vibrating.

"to tremble, shake tremulously, shudder," late 15c., perhaps imitative, or possibly an alteration of quaveren (see quaver), or from quiver (adj.) "active, agile, lively, brisk" (mid-13c.), from Old English cwifer- (in cwiferlice "zealously"), which is perhaps related to cwic "alive" (see quick (adj.)). Compare Middle Dutch kuyveren "to tremble." Related: Quivered; quivering. As a noun, "act or state of quivering," by 1715, from the verb.

"to shake, tremble," 1610s, perhaps a variant of dadder, from Middle English daderen "to quake, tremble" (mid-14c.) a frequentative formation on a pattern similar to totter, patter, etc. Wedgwood points to a large group of similar words signifying motion to and fro, including dither, diddle, dandle, toddle, doddle ("shake the head," 1650s). Related: Doddered; doddering.

"marshy spot," 1580s, a variant of Middle English quabbe "a marsh, bog, shaking marshy soil," from Old English *cwabba "shake, tremble" (like something soft and flabby). Related: Quaggy.

1560s, in music, "an eighth-note," from quaver (v.). Sense of "a shake or trill in singing" is from 1610s; meaning "a tremble in the voice" is by 1748.

1640s, "to quake, tremble," phonetic variant of Middle English didderen (late 14c.), which is of uncertain origin. The sense of "vacillate in opinion, be indecisive" is from 1908. Related: Dithered; dithering.

Proto-Indo-European root meaning "to turn, vacillate, tremble ecstatically." 

It forms all or part of: gimlet; gimp (n.2) "ornamental trimming material;" vibrant; vibrate; vibration; vibrato; vibrissa; waif; waive; waiver; whip; wimple; wipe.

It is the hypothetical source of/evidence for its existence is provided by: Latin vibrare "set in tremulous motion, move quickly to and fro, quiver, tremble, shake," Lithuanian vyburti "to wag" (the tail), Danish vippe, Dutch wippen "to swing," Old English wipan "to wipe."

"pulsating, visibly throbbing," 1837, from French palpitant (early 16c.), from Latin palpitantem, present participle of palpitare "to move frequently and swiftly, tremble, throb," frequentative of palpare "to touch" (see palpable).

plural vibrissae, 1690s, "nose hair, stiff hair in the nostril," from Latin vibrissa, back-formation from vibrissare, from vibrare "to vibrate" (from PIE root *weip- "to turn, vacillate, tremble ecstatically"). In reference to the long whiskers of a cat, etc., from 1839.