oscillate

os·cil·late

Use oscillate in a sentence

verb

Oscillate is to swing back and forth, either literally or in terms of your opinion, action or mood.

A fan that swings around and around is an example of a fan that oscillates.
When you go from delighted about an idea to angry about the idea and back again, this is an example of a time when you oscillate.

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"oscillate." YourDictionary, n.d. Web. 14 January 2019. <https://www.yourdictionary.com/oscillate>.

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oscillate. (n.d.). Retrieved January 14th, 2019, from https://www.yourdictionary.com/oscillate

oscillate

intransitive verb

-·lat·ed, -·lat·ing

to swing or move regularly back and forth
to be indecisive in purpose or opinion; vacillate
Physics to vary regularly between maximum and minimum values, as an electric current

Origin of oscillate

from Classical Latin oscillatus, past participle of oscillare, to swing from oscillum, a swing

to cause to oscillate

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"oscillate." YourDictionary, n.d. Web. 14 January 2019. <https://www.yourdictionary.com/oscillate>.

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oscillate. (n.d.). Retrieved January 14th, 2019, from https://www.yourdictionary.com/oscillate

oscillate

intransitive verb

os·cil·lat·ed, os·cil·lat·ing, os·cil·lates

To swing back and forth with a steady, uninterrupted rhythm.
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.
Physics To vary between alternate extremes, usually within a definable period of time.

Origin of oscillate

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.

Related Forms:

os′cil·la′tor
noun

os′cil·la·to′ry
adjective

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.

THE AMERICAN HERITAGE® DICTIONARY OF THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE, FIFTH EDITION by the Editors of the American Heritage Dictionaries. Copyright © 2016, 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

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"oscillate." YourDictionary, n.d. Web. 14 January 2019. <https://www.yourdictionary.com/oscillate>.

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oscillate. (n.d.). Retrieved January 14th, 2019, from https://www.yourdictionary.com/oscillate

Verb

(third-person singular simple present oscillates, present participle oscillating, simple past and past participle oscillated)

(intransitive) To swing back and forth, especially if with a regular rhythm.
A pendulum oscillates slower as it gets longer.
(intransitive) To vacillate between conflicting opinions, etc.
The mood for change oscillated from day to day.
(intransitive) To vary above and below a mean value.

Origin

From Latin oscillatus perfect passive participle of Latin oscillÅ (“swing"), from oscillum (“a swing"), usually identified with oscillum (“a little face or mask hung to a tree and swaying with the wind"), diminutive of os (“mouth, face").

English Wiktionary. Available under CC-BY-SA license.

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"oscillate." YourDictionary, n.d. Web. 14 January 2019. <https://www.yourdictionary.com/oscillate>.

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oscillate. (n.d.). Retrieved January 14th, 2019, from https://www.yourdictionary.com/oscillate

oscillate - Computer Definition

Vary predictably, or rhythmically, between two extremes, usually within a set period of time. An alternating current (AC) waveform, for example, oscillates between maximum and minimum electrical values, which are positive voltage (+V) and negative voltage (

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"oscillate." YourDictionary, n.d. Web. 14 January 2019. <https://www.yourdictionary.com/oscillate>.

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oscillate. (n.d.). Retrieved January 14th, 2019, from https://www.yourdictionary.com/oscillate

To swing back and forth between the minimum and maximum values. An oscillation is one cycle, typically one complete wave in an alternating frequency.

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