shiv·er¹ / ˈshivər/ • v. [intr.] (of a person or animal) shake slightly and uncontrollably as a result of being cold, frightened, or excited: they shivered in the damp foggy cold.• n. a momentary trembling movement: she gave a little shiver as the wind flicked at her bare arms the way he looked at her sent shivers down her spine. ∎  (the shivers) a spell or an attack of trembling, typically as a result of fear or horror: a look that gave him the shivers.DERIVATIVES: shiv·er·er n.shiv·er·ing·ly adv.shiv·er·y / ˈshiv(ə)rē/ adj.shiv·er² • n. (usu. shivers) each of the small fragments into which something such as glass is shattered when broken; a splinter.• v. [intr.] rare break into such splinters or fragments: the world seemed to shiver into a million splinters of prismatic color.PHRASES: shiver my (or me) timbers a mock oath attributed to sailors.

shiver2 tremble as with cold or fear. XIII. Early ME. chivere, superseded by shiver XV, prob. by assoc. with shake (cf. chivere and schake XIV); perh. orig. referring to chattering of the teeth (cf. chevere with the chin XV) and so an alt. by substitution of -ER4 of ME. chavele, chefle wag the jaws, chatter, and chevele, chivele shiver (XIV), f. OE. ċeafl jaw, JOWL.

shiver1 fragment, chip. XIII. Early ME. scifre, scivre, corr. to OHG. scivaro splinter (G. schiefer slate, for schieferstein), f. Gmc. *skîff- split.
So vb. XII (in †to-shiver). cf. MDu. scheveren, MHG. schiveren. (G. schiefern).