fluctuation

Variant of fluctuate

intransitive verb fluctuated, fluctuating

  1. to move back and forth or up and down; rise and fall; undulate, as waves
  2. to be continually changing or varying in an irregular way: prices fluctuated wildly

Origin: < L fluctuatus, pp. of fluctuare < fluctus, a flowing, wave < pp. stem of fluere, to flow < IE *bhleu-, to swell up, flow (> bluster) < base *bhel-, to swell up > ball

transitive verb

to cause to fluctuate

Related Forms:

Webster's New World College Dictionary Copyright © 2010 by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Cleveland, Ohio.
Used by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

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