Quakers Got Their Name as an Insult
To quake is to shake with fear or force. The religious group called Quakers were named mockingly, and kept the name.
To quake is to shake or tremble, from fear or from movement of the ground. The Religious Society of Friends acquired their nickname from it: a magistrate in 1650 mocked George Fox for telling him to tremble at the word of the Lord, and called his followers *Quakers*. The group adopted the insult and it became the ordinary name. An *earthquake* is literally an earth-shaking, and *quaking aspen* is named for its constantly trembling leaves.
- To tremble. *Quaking with fear.*
- Earthquake — a shaking of the ground. *An earthquake.*
- Quaker — the religious name. *A Quaker.*
- Quaking aspen — a tree. *Quaking aspen.*
- Old English — *cwacian*. *The source.*
Word forms
| Form | Word | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Verb | quake | Quake. |
| Past | quaked | Quaked. |
| Noun | quake | A quake. |
| Compound | earthquake | Earthquake. |
| Noun | Quaker | A Quaker. |
- The ground quaked beneath them.Movement.
- He was quaking in his boots.Fear.
- The name began as mockery.History.
Names that began as insults
- Quaker — from a magistrate's mockery in 1650
- Methodist — mocking the methodical habits of early members
- Tory — from an Irish word for an outlaw
- Whig — from a Scottish word for a cattle driver
- Impressionist — from a hostile review of a Monet painting
Old English *cwacian*, to tremble, of uncertain further origin, probably imitative.
Why are Quakers called that?
A magistrate mocked George Fox in 1650 for telling him to tremble at the word of the Lord. The group adopted the nickname.
Are Tory and Whig also old insults?
Yes. Both were terms of abuse before they became the accepted names of British political parties.