Extreme nervousness or anxiety, often causing small involuntary movements or trembling.
Origin uncertain, possibly imitative in nature. First appeared in American English around 1900, perhaps related to 'jitter' meaning to shake or move erratically. The term may come from jazz slang.
The word arrived mysteriously around 1900 in America and nobody's totally sure why—but it's onomatopoeia, mimicking that shaky, vibrating feeling of being really nervous. It's the sound of anxiety!
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