English
jitter
Jitter may come from English chitter ‘to tremble, shiver’.
- English1500–presentchitter‘to tremble, shiver’uncertain
- Englishearliest quotation 1956jitter
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed
Earlier history uncertain.
Lineage
- English1500–presentchitter‘to tremble, shiver’uncertain
- Englishearliest quotation 1956jitter
Earliest quotation: 1956, LIFE: “Now you have mirror-clear TV without picture flopover, jitter,…”
Every English word from English chitter
Today it means
noun A nervous action; a tic.
Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.
Etymograph / English chitter / jitter