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tremulous

Adjective
Pronunciation

Understanding ARPABET Pronunciation

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The pronunciation guide uses the ARPABET phonetic system—the same system used in speech recognition and text-to-speech applications.

Vowel Examples:
AE1 = cat, bat
EH1 = bed, head
IY1 = see, me
OW1 = go, boat
UW1 = boot, do
Stress Numbers:
0 = no stress (unstressed)
1 = primary stress (loud)
2 = secondary stress (medium)
Example:
AH0 TH IY1 N AH0
= a-THEE-na (Athena)

The stressed syllable (marked with 1) is pronounced louder and clearer than others.

Quick Definition

An adjective describing a shaking, quivering, or timid quality in voice or movement, often used in poetry to evoke fear, vulnerability, or deep emotion.

Detailed Definition
In poetry, tremulous often describes something that seems to tremble or flutter, especially light, leaves, or blossoms. Here it gives the plum trees a delicate, wavering appearance in the line about springtime bloom.
Example
Example in poetry:
“And wild plum trees in tremulous white” makes blossom seem delicately quivering; “Tremulous” can describe a voice shaking with fear, age, or emotion; A tremulous moonlight may flicker across water; The adjective joins physical vibration to emotional uncertainty
Additional Notes
In the quoted line, "tremulous" is a less common literary adjective that many readers may need to look up.; Found in the poem, There Will Come Soft Rains by Sara Teasdale
Also Known As
quivering trembling shaking shuddering
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