oscillatory
|os-cil-la-to-ry|
🇺🇸
/ˈɑsəˌleɪtəri/
🇬🇧
/ˈɒsɪləˌtɔːri/
pertaining to swinging back and forth
Etymology
'oscillatory' originates from Latin, specifically from the verb 'oscillare' meaning 'to swing' and from the adjective-forming suffix '-orius' (via '-atory' in English) meaning 'pertaining to'.
'oscillare' passed into Late Latin as 'oscillatio/oscillatorium', then through French/Medieval Latin influences and English formation gave the adjective 'oscillatory' (via the noun 'oscillation').
Initially it related directly to the act of swinging ('to swing'), but over time it evolved to mean 'pertaining to or showing repeated, often periodic, motion or variation', including technical uses in physics and mathematics.
Meanings by Part of Speech
Adjective 1
relating to or characterized by oscillation; moving or swinging back and forth in a regular rhythm.
The bridge exhibited oscillatory motion during the storm.
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Adjective 2
in mathematics or physics, describing behavior that alternates in sign or shows repeated up-and-down (or back-and-forth) variation, often damped or periodic.
The solution to the differential equation has an oscillatory component.
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Last updated: 2025/09/03 08:40