quake
n. countablen. a sudden shaking of the ground. It is a shorter, more casual way to say earthquake.
n. a sudden and violent shaking of the ground, typically resulting from movements within the earth's crust or volcanic action. Often used as a clipped form of 'earthquake' in journalistic or informal contexts.
The small quake rattled the windows but caused no damage.
Geologists warned that the minor quake could be a precursor to a much larger seismic event.
While the initial quake lasted only seconds, the subsequent structural assessments revealed deep fissures in the foundation that rendered the historic library unsafe for public use.
From Middle English quaken, from Old English cwacian (“to quake, tremble, chatter”), from Proto-Germanic *kwakōną (“to shake, quiver, tremble”), itself likely of imitative origin. Related to Old English cweċċan (“to shake, swing, move, vibrate, shake off, give up”) (see quitch), Dutch kwakkelen (“to ail, be ailing”), German Quackelei (“chattering”), Danish kvakle (“to bungle”), Latin vexō (“toss, shake violently, jostle, vex”), Irish bogadh (“a move, movement, shift, change”).
Commonly used in news headlines to save space; often paired with modifiers like 'minor', 'major', or 'aftershock'.