Link Centre Dictionary

oscillate

os·cil·late

US/ˈɑsɪleɪt/ uncommon

verb

1.

be undecided about something; waver between conflicting positions or courses of action

  • “He oscillates between accepting the new position and retirement”
Synonyms
2.

move or swing from side to side regularly

  • “the needle on the meter was oscillating”
Synonyms

Origin

First attested in 1726; borrowed from Latin ōscillātus, perfect passive participle of Latin ōscillō (“to swing”) (see -ate (verb-forming suffix)), from ōscillum (“a swing”), usually identified with ōscillum (“a little face or mask hung on a tree that sways with the wind”), diminutive of ōs (“mouth, face”). See also osculate.

Related words

Word family

Broader terms

Narrower terms

WordNet 2.1 (Princeton University). Wiktionary (CC BY-SA). CMU Pronouncing Dictionary. WordNet 2.1 Copyright Princeton University. All rights reserved. Wiktionary content is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike Licence.