cwacian
Old English
Alternative forms
- cwæcian, cuacian
Etymology
From Proto-Germanic *kwakōną, probably onomatopoeic in origin. Cognate with Dutch kwak (“pile of sperm”).
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /ˈkwɑ.ki.ɑn/
Verb
cwacian
- to quake
Conjugation
Conjugation of cwacian (weak, class 2)
| infinitive | cwacian | cwacienne |
|---|---|---|
| indicative mood | present tense | past tense |
| first person singular | cwaciġe | cwacode |
| second person singular | cwacast | cwacodest |
| third person singular | cwacaþ | cwacode |
| plural | cwaciaþ | cwacodon |
| subjunctive | present tense | past tense |
| singular | cwaciġe | cwacode |
| plural | cwaciġen | cwacoden |
| imperative | ||
| singular | cwaca | |
| plural | cwaciaþ | |
| participle | present | past |
| cwaciende | (ġe)cwacod | |
Related terms
Descendants
- Middle English: quaken, quake, quakien, quakiȝen, quaake, qwaken, qwake, qwhake, kwaken, cwakien, cwakie (Early Middle English)
- English: quake
- Scots: quak
Further reading
- Douglas Harper (2001–2025) “quake”, in Online Etymology Dictionary.