oscillate
oscillate Lexical Profile
oscillate Game Scores & Validity
• verb
To move or swing back and forth at a regular speed around a central point.
"The pendulum of the antique grandfather clock continued to oscillate with steady precision."
To waver or fluctuate repeatedly between extremes of opinion, emotion, action, or value.
"During the negotiations, the committee tended to oscillate between cautious optimism and deep skepticism."
To vary periodically in magnitude or direction between alternate extremes (of an electric current, electromagnetic wave, or physical quantity).
"In a standard alternating current circuit, the voltage is designed to oscillate sixty times per second."
• Rhymes for oscillate
• Nearby Words
Word Origin & Etymology
Borrowed in the early 18th century from Latin oscillatus, the past participle of oscillare ('to swing'), derived from oscillum, meaning a small mask of Bacchus hung from trees in vineyards to swing in the wind as a fertility charm.