temblor

/ˈtɛmblər/

/ˈtɛmblə/

Other forms: temblors

A temblor is another name for an earthquake. Feeling a temblor shake the ground under your feet can be terrifying, even when it's a fairly small one.

The word temblor has been commonly used in American Spanish since the 19th century. It comes from a Spanish word meaning "a trembling." So if you ever have the experience of feeling the ground tremble beneath you or watching the dishes on your kitchen shelf trembling as your whole house shakes, you can describe it as an earthquake or a temblor.

Definitions of temblor

1. noun

   shaking and vibration at the surface of the earth resulting from underground movement along a fault plane of from volcanic activity
   synonyms: earthquake, quake, seism

   types:

   seismic disturbance, shock

   an instance of agitation of the earth's crust

   earth tremor, microseism, tremor

   a small earthquake

   seaquake, submarine earthquake

   an earthquake at the sea bed

   aftershock

   a tremor (or one of a series of tremors) occurring after the main shock of an earthquake

   foreshock

   a tremor preceding an earthquake

   type of:

   geological phenomenon

   a natural phenomenon involving the structure or composition of the earth