trem ‧ or /ˈtremə $ -ər/ BrE AmE noun [countable]
[ Date: 1300-1400 ; Language: Old French ; Origin: tremour , from Latin tremor , from tremere ; ⇨ ↑ tremble ]
1 . a small ↑ earthquake in which the ground shakes slightly:
an earth tremor
2 . a slight shaking movement in your body that you cannot control, especially because you are ill, weak, or upset
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THESAURUS
▪ earthquake a sudden shaking of the earth’s surface:
The earthquake destroyed homes, telephone lines and roads.
▪ quake informal an earthquake – used especially in journalism:
More than 2000 people died when a quake hit the island of Flores.
▪ tremor a small movement in the earth’s surface in which the ground shakes slightly:
He was awoken by a series of tremors during the night.
▪ aftershock further movements in the earth’s surface that happen after a larger earthquake:
In the days after the earthquake, the area suffered a series of aftershocks.
▪ tsunami an ocean wave caused by an earthquake under the water:
There was no warning of the approaching tsunami.