different between vacillate vs undulate

English

Etymology

From Latin vacill?tum, supine form of vacill? (“sway, waver”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /?væ.s?.le?t/, /?væ.s?.le?t/

Verb

vacillate (third-person singular simple present vacillates, present participle vacillating, simple past and past participle vacillated)

1. (intransitive) To sway unsteadily from one side to the other; oscillate.
   • 1910: Jack London, The Heathen

     Its [the barometer's] normal register in the Paumotus [the Tuamotus] was 29.90, and it was quite customary to see it vacillate between 29.85 and 30.00, or even 30.05; [...]

2. (intransitive) To swing indecisively from one course of action or opinion to another.
   • 2004: Chris Wallace, Character: Profiles in Presidential Courage

     On the streets of Berlin, Ruth and her compatriots vacillated "between hope and despair."

Synonyms

• (to sway from one side to the other): stagger
• (to swing indecisively): blow hot and cold, waffle

Related terms

Translations

Further reading

• vacillate in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, G. & C. Merriam, 1913.
• vacillate in The Century Dictionary, New York, N.Y.: The Century Co., 1911.
• vacillate at OneLook Dictionary Search

Anagrams

• cavatelli, laticlave

Italian

Verb

vacillate

1. second-person plural present indicative of vacillare
2. second-person plural imperative of vacillare
3. feminine plural of vacillato

Anagrams

• cavillate

Latin

Verb

vacill?te

1. second-person plural present active imperative of vacill?

English

Etymology

Borrowed from Late Latin undul?tus (“undulated”), from an unattested *undula (“small wave”), diminutive of Latin unda (“wave”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /??ndj?le?t/, /??ndj?le?t/, /??nd??le?t/, /??nd??le?t/, /??nd?le?t/
• (adjective, non-merged vowel) IPA^(key): /??ndj?l?t/, /??ndj?l?t/, /??nd??l?t/, /??nd??l?t/, /??nd?l?t/
• (adjective, merged vowel) IPA^(key): /??ndj?l?t/, /??nd??l?t/, /??nd?l?t/

Verb

undulate (third-person singular simple present undulates, present participle undulating, simple past and past participle undulated)

1. (transitive) To cause to move in a wavelike motion.
   • 1669, William Holder, Elements of Speech

     Breath vocalized, i.e., vibrated and undulated.

2. (transitive) To cause to resemble a wave
3. (intransitive) To move in wavelike motions.
4. (intransitive) To appear wavelike.

Translations

See also

• oscillate

Adjective

undulate (comparative more undulate, superlative most undulate)

1. Wavy in appearance or form.
2. Changing the pitch and volume of one's voice.
3. (botany, of a margin) sinuous, winding up and down.

Translations

Latin

Adjective

undul?te

1. vocative masculine singular of undul?tus