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.

American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

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]

Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014

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]

Random House Kernerman Webster's College Dictionary, © 2010 K Dictionaries Ltd. Copyright 2005, 1997, 1991 by Random House, Inc. All rights reserved.

oscillate

Past participle: oscillated
Gerund: oscillating

Imperative

oscillate

oscillate

Collins English Verb Tables © HarperCollins Publishers 2011

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"

Based on WordNet 3.0, Farlex clipart collection. © 2003-2012 Princeton University, Farlex Inc.

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

Collins Thesaurus of the English Language – Complete and Unabridged 2nd Edition. 2002 © HarperCollins Publishers 1995, 2002

oscillate

verb

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

sway, swing.

The American Heritage® Roget's Thesaurus. Copyright © 2013, 2014 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

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

Collins Spanish Dictionary - Complete and Unabridged 8th Edition 2005 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1971, 1988 © HarperCollins Publishers 1992, 1993, 1996, 1997, 2000, 2003, 2005

oscillate

[ˈɒsɪleɪt] vi

(= move) [object] → osciller

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

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

Collins English/French Electronic Resource. © HarperCollins Publishers 2005

oscillate

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

Collins German Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged 7th Edition 2005. © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1980 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1997, 1999, 2004, 2005, 2007

oscillate

[ˈɒsɪˌleɪt] vi → oscillare

Collins Italian Dictionary 1st Edition © HarperCollins Publishers 1995

oscillate

v. oscilar; fluctuar.

English-Spanish Medical Dictionary © Farlex 2012