Shak"er (?), n. 1. A person or thing that shakes, or by means of which
something is shaken.
2. One of a religious sect who do not marry, popularly so called from
the movements of the members in dancing, which forms a part of their
worship.
The sect originated in England in 1747, and came to the United States
in 1774, under the leadership of Mother Ann Lee. The Shakers are
sometimes nicknamed Shaking Quakers, but they differ from the Quakers
in doctrine and practice. They style themselves the "United Society of
Believers in Christ's Second Appearing." The sect is now confined in
the United States.