shaky

shaky
shaky (adj.) 1834 of structures; 1840, of handwriting; 1841 of persons and credit; from SHAKE (Cf. shake) + -Y (Cf. -y) (2). General sense of "uncertain" is from 1834. Earliest of trees or logs, "split, having fissures" (1808). Related: Shakily; shakiness.

Etymology dictionary. 2014.

Игры ⚽ Поможем сделать НИР
Synonyms:

Look at other dictionaries:

  • shaky — shak‧y [ˈʆeɪki] adjective not definite or firm, and likely to fail: • The market began a shaky recovery. • After a shaky start at the beginning of the decade, the economy began to grow fast. * * * shaky UK US /ˈʃeɪki/ adjective ► not in good… …   Financial and business terms

  • Shaky — Shak y, a. [Compar. {Shakier}; superl. {Shakiest}.] 1. Shaking or trembling; as, a shaky spot in a marsh; a shaky hand. Thackeray. [1913 Webster] 2. Full of shakes or cracks; cracked; as, shaky timber. Gwilt. [1913 Webster] 3. Easily shaken;… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • Shaky — Studioalbum von Shakin’ Stevens Veröffentlichung 1981 Label Epic Records Format …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • shaky — [adj1] trembling all aquiver*, aquake, aquiver, ashake, faltering, fluctuant, infirm, insecure, jellylike, jerry built*, jittery, nervous, not set, precarious, quaking, quivery, rattletrap, rickety, rocky, rootless, shaking, tottering, tottery,… …   New thesaurus

  • shaky — index diffident, insecure, precarious Burton s Legal Thesaurus. William C. Burton. 2006 …   Law dictionary

  • shaky — ► ADJECTIVE (shakier, shakiest) 1) shaking or trembling. 2) unstable. 3) not safe or reliable. DERIVATIVES shakily adverb shakiness noun …   English terms dictionary

  • shaky — [shā′kē] adj. shakier, shakiest 1. not firm, substantial, or secure; weak, unsound, or unsteady, as a structure, belief, etc. 2. a) trembling or tremulous b) nervous or jittery 3. not dependable or reliable; questionable shakily adv …   English World dictionary

  • shaky — [[t]ʃe͟ɪki[/t]] shakier, shakiest 1) ADJ GRADED If you describe a situation as shaky, you mean that it is weak or unstable, and seems unlikely to last long or be successful. A shaky ceasefire is holding after three days of fighting between rival… …   English dictionary

  • shaky — adjective 1 weak and unsteady because of old age, illness or shock: shaky voice | be shaky on your feet (=not able to walk very well): Grandad was a little shaky on his feet after the accident. 2 not thorough, complete, or certain: My knowledge… …   Longman dictionary of contemporary English

  • shaky — adjective (shakier; est) Date: 1703 1. characterized by shakes < shaky timber > 2. a. lacking stability ; precarious < a shaky economy > < performed well after a shaky start > b …   New Collegiate Dictionary

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”