In a way that trembles or shakes, often due to fear, weakness, or cold.
From 'shaky' (adjective meaning unsteady or trembling) plus the adverbial suffix '-ly'. The root 'shake' comes from Old English 'sceacan', meaning to move back and forth.
The word perfectly captures how our bodies betray our emotions—when someone speaks shakily, we instantly know they're nervous even if they're trying to hide it. It's one of those words where the sound of it almost mimics the thing it describes!
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