tressaillir

to shudder

verb treh-sah-YEER Rare

Also means

to flinch

Usage Note

Tressaillir describes an involuntary physical jolt — from fear, surprise, cold, or strong emotion. It is more literary than the everyday frissonner (to shiver) and often appears in narrative prose. The past participle is tressailli, and it conjugates as an irregular verb.

Examples

"Elle a tressailli en entendant le coup de tonnerre."

Natural Translation

She shuddered when she heard the thunderclap.

Literal Translation

She has shuddered on hearing the clap of thunder

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