shake
/ʃeɪk/
verb
Origin
Proto-Germanic
*skakaną — to shake, flee, move quickly
Overview
Meaning Now
- To move or cause to move with quick, short movements.
- To grasp someone's hand and move it up and down as a gesture of greeting or agreement.
Language path
Proto-Germanic → Old English → English
Earliest form
scacan
Earliest period
Old English
Journey
The word originates from Old English 'scacan', which meant to move rapidly or brandish a weapon. Over centuries, the sense of physical agitation broadened to encompass social gestures like shaking hands and abstract concepts like 'shaking off' a bad habit.
Evolution
- Proto-Germanic
*skakaną
“to move, shake”
- Old English
scacan
“to shake, agitate, tremble”
- Middle English
shaken
“to shake”
- Modern English
shake
“to vibrate, agitate, or greet”
Connections
Word parts
shake
root
to vibrate or agitate
Related across languages
Old Norse
skaka
to shake
Old Saxon
skakan
to shake
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External references use DefinedTerm semantics.