Trembling or shaking, especially from cold or fear.
From 'a-' (in a state of) plus 'shiver' (Middle English 'chiveren', origin uncertain but possibly imitative of the shaking motion). The prefix intensifies the verb into an adjective.
The 'a-' prefix in words like 'ashiver,' 'ablaze,' and 'afoot' is a poetic remnant—writers still use it to make descriptions more vivid and old-fashioned sounding.
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