oscillate

os·cil·late

 (ŏs′ə-lāt′)

intr.v. os·cil·lat·ed, os·cil·lat·ing, os·cil·lates

1. To swing back and forth with a steady, uninterrupted rhythm.

2. To waver, as between conflicting opinions or courses of action; vacillate: "The court has oscillated over the decades from more liberal to less, more conservative to less, depending upon who was president at the time of vacancies" (Gordon J. Humphrey). See Synonyms at swing.

3. Physics To vary between alternate extremes, usually within a definable period of time.

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[Latin ōscillāre, ōscillāt-, from ōscillum, something that swings back and forth, swing, probably from ōscillum, small mask of Bacchus, diminutive of ōs, mouth; see ōs- in Indo-European roots.]

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os′cil·la′tor n.

os′cil·la·to′ry (-lə-tôr′ē) adj.

Word History: The history of the word oscillate shows how English words referring to technical or scientific concepts often come from Latin words describing everyday objects and ordinary life in ancient times. In a passage in his Georgics, a long poem celebrating rural life, the Roman poet Virgil describes how Bacchus is honored in the countryside by hanging small masks from pine trees. He uses the Latin word ōscillum (plural ōscilla) to refer to these hanging religious decorations, which were common in the ancient Roman world. The house of a wealthy Roman family was usually built around one or more courtyards or gardens enclosed by rows of columns, and in each space between these columns, an ōscillum was often hung. It is probable that this word ōscillum, "something that swings back and forth," is simply an extended use of the word ōscillum meaning "a small mouth, a small face" (a diminutive of ōs, "mouth"), since the swinging objects most often consisted of masks or tondi depicting faces. From the word ōscillum, "something that swings back and forth," the Romans derived the verb ōscillāre, "to ride in a swing," and the noun ōscillātiō, "the action of swinging." These are the sources of English oscillate and oscillation, words that entered English during the 1600s and 1700s as technical terms mainly used in scientific writings and similar works.

oscillate

(ˈɒsɪˌleɪt)

vb

1. (intr) to move or swing from side to side regularly

2. (intr) to waver between opinions, courses of action, etc

3. (General Physics) physics to undergo or produce or cause to undergo or produce oscillation

[C18: from Latin oscillāre to swing, from oscillum a swing]

os•cil•late

(ˈɒs əˌleɪt)

v. -lat•ed, -lat•ing. v.i.

1. to swing or move to and fro, as a pendulum does.

2. to vary or vacillate between differing beliefs, conditions, etc.

3. to vary between maximum and minimum values, as of a cycle or mathematical function.

v.t.

4. to cause to move to and fro; vibrate.

[1720–30; < Latin oscillāre to swing]

oscillate

Past participle: oscillated
Gerund: oscillating

Imperative

oscillate

oscillate

Thesaurus

Verb	1.	oscillate - be undecided about something; waver between conflicting positions or courses of action; "He oscillates between accepting the new position and retirement" hover, vacillate, vibrate hesitate, waffle, waver - pause or hold back in uncertainty or unwillingness; "Authorities hesitate to quote exact figures" shillyshally - be uncertain and vague
	2.	oscillate - move or swing from side to side regularly; "the needle on the meter was oscillating" vibrate sway, swing - move or walk in a swinging or swaying manner; "He swung back" hunt - oscillate about a desired speed, position, or state to an undesirable extent; "The oscillator hunts about the correct frequency" librate - vibrate before coming to a total rest; "the children's swing librated"

oscillate

verb

1. fluctuate, swing, vary, sway, waver, veer, rise and fall, vibrate, undulate, go up and down, seesaw The needle indicating volume was oscillating wildly.

2. waver, change, swing, shift, vary, sway, alternate, veer, ebb and flow, vacillate, seesaw She oscillated between elation and despair.
waver settle, decide, determine, resolve, commit yourself

oscillate

verb

To move rhythmically back and forth suspended or as if suspended from above:

sway, swing.

Translations

kmitatoscilovat

oszillierenpendeln

võnkliikuma

osciller

oscillareoscillazione

oscilar

oscillate

[ˈɒsɪleɪt]

A. VI

1. (Phys) → oscilar; [compass, needle etc] → oscilar, fluctuar

2. (fig) → oscilar
he oscillates between boredom and keenness → pasa del aburrimiento al entusiasmo, oscila entre el aburrimiento y el entusiasmo

B. VT → hacer oscilar

oscillate

[ˈɒsɪleɪt] vi

(= move) [object] → osciller

(= vary) [level, value, temperature] → osciller

to oscillate between ... and [person, mood] → osciller entre ... et

oscillate

vi (Phys) → oszillieren, schwingen; (compass needle etc) → schwanken; (rapidly) → zittern; (fig) → schwanken; the needle oscillated violently → die Nadel schlug stark aus

oscillate

[ˈɒsɪˌleɪt] vi → oscillare

oscillate

v. oscilar; fluctuar.