English Dictionary: oscillated | by the DICT Development Group |
1 result for oscillated | |
From Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913) [web1913]: | |
Oscillate \Os"cil*late\, v. i. [imp. & p. p. {Oscillated}; p. pr. & vb. n. {Oscillating}.] [L. oscillare to swing, fr. oscillum a swing, a little mask or puppet made to be hung from trees and swing in the wind, prob. orig., a little mouth, a dim. from os mouth. See {Oral}, and cf. {Osculate}.] 1. To move backward and forward; to vibrate like a pendulum; to swing; to sway. 2. To vary or fluctuate between fixed limits; to act or move in a fickle or fluctuating manner; to change repeatedly, back and forth. The amount of superior families oscillates rather than changes, that is, it fluctuates within fixed limits. --Dc Quincey. |