- shimmy (v.)
- "do a suggestive dance," 1918, perhaps via phrase shake the shimmy, possibly from shimmy (n.), a U.S. dialectal form of chemise (mistaken as a plural; cf. shammy) first recorded 1837; or related to shimmer via a notion of glistening light. Transferred sense of "vibration of a motor vehicle" is from 1925. Related: Shimmied; shimmying.