English
Quaker
From quake + -er; a name given to members of the Religious Society of Friends, supposedly by the magistrates Gervase Bennet and Nathaniel Barton, when George Fox "bade them tremble at the word of the Lord"; the term was previously applied to certain people who trembled or quaked during religious devotions.
Formed from quake + -er
Proto-Germanic *kwakōną ‘to shake, quiver, tremble’
Old English cwacian ‘to quake, tremble, chatter’
Middle English quaken ‘to tremble with fear or anger’
English quake
Today it means
noun A believer of the Quaker faith and a member of the Society of Friends, known for their pacifist views.
Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.
Etymograph / Quaker