'spine-tingling' is a compound formed from 'spine' + the present participle 'tingling' (from the verb 'tingle'), created in modern English usage to describe a sensation affecting the spine.

'spine' comes into English via Old English and ultimately from Latin 'spina' meaning 'thorn' or 'backbone'; 'tingle' developed in Middle/early modern English from Germanic roots meaning 'to prickle or sting', and 'spine-tingling' emerged as a compound in later modern English to convey a shivering sensation along the spine.

Originally, 'spine' referred anatomically to the backbone and 'tingle' to a prickling sensation; the compound initially described a physical prickle along the spine and broadened to figurative uses meaning thrilling or frightening.