DictionaryRoot: oscillare
Latin

oscillare

to swing

1 / 2
Pendulum bob swinging left and right beneath fixed support with subtle motion arc.
verb

oscillate

AH-sih-layt/ˈɑːsɪleɪt/

To move or change repeatedly back and forth.

Etymology

Latin “to swing” captures the repeated backward-and-forward motion. Its noun base is usually identified with a word for a small Bacchus mask hung in vineyards, the proposed connection being its swinging in the breeze.

Full entry

Related word entries