different between nervous vs tremulous

English

Etymology

From Middle English nerv?us (“containing nerves; made up of nerve-like fibres; of or relating to nerves; containing sinews or tendons, sinewy; affecting sinews or tendons”), from Latin nerv?sus (“nervous; sinewy; energetic, vigorous”), from nervus (“nerve; muscle; sinew, tendon; (figuratively) energy, power; nerve; force, strength, vigour”) (ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *snéh?wr? (“sinew, tendon”)) + -?sus (suffix meaning ‘full of, prone to’ forming adjectives from nouns). The English word is analysable as nerve +? -ous.

Pronunciation

• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /?n??v?s/
• (General American) IPA^(key): /?n??v?s/
• Hyphenation: nerv?ous

Adjective

nervous (comparative more nervous, superlative most nervous)

1. Of sinews and tendons.
   1. (obsolete) Full of sinews. [14th–18th c.]
   2. (obsolete) Having strong or prominent sinews; sinewy, muscular. [15th–19th c.]
   3. (obsolete) Of a piece of writing, literary style etc.: forceful, powerful. [17th–19th c.]
      • 1788, Frances Burney, Journals & Letters, Penguin 2001, p. 264:

        Nervous, clear, and striking, was almost all that he uttered […].

2. Of nerves.
   1. Supplied with nerves; innervated. [from 14th c.]
   2. Affecting the nerves or nervous system. [from 15th c.]
   3. (botany, obsolete) Nervose. [17th–18th c.]
   4. Easily agitated or alarmed; edgy, on edge. [from 18th c.]

      Synonyms: excitable, high-strung, hypersensitive; see also Thesaurus:nervous
   5. Apprehensive, anxious, hesitant, worried. [from 18th c.]

      Synonyms: see Thesaurus:nervous

      Antonyms: calm, relaxed

Derived terms

Related terms

• nervosity

Translations

Notes

References

Further reading

• nervous (disambiguation) on Wikipedia.Wikipedia
• nervous in The Century Dictionary, New York, N.Y.: The Century Co., 1911.
• nervous in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, G. & C. Merriam, 1913.

English

Etymology

From Latin tremulus, from trem? (“I shake”). Cognate to Ancient Greek ????? (trém?).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /?t??mjul?s/

Adjective

tremulous (comparative more tremulous, superlative most tremulous)

1. Trembling, quivering, or shaking.
2. Timid, hesitant; lacking confidence.
   • 2009 Oct. 7, Christopher Kimball, "Opinion: Gourmet to All That," New York Times (retrieved 18 Aug 2012):

     This, hard on the heels of the death of Julia Child in 2004, makes one tremulous about the future.

Synonyms

• (trembling, quivering, or shaking): quaking, shaking, trembling, tremulant
• (timid, hesitant, or unconfident): timid, wavering

Related terms

• tremble
• tremor

Translations