undulate

English

Etymology

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

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈʌndjəleɪt/, /ˈʌndjʊleɪt/, /ˈʌnd͡ʒəleɪt/, /ˈʌnd͡ʒʊleɪt/, /ˈʌndəleɪt/

• Audio (Southern England)

  (file)

• (adjective, non-merged vowel) IPA^(key): /ˈʌndjəlɪt/, /ˈʌndjʊlɪt/, /ˈʌnd͡ʒəlɪt/, /ˈʌnd͡ʒʊlɪt/, /ˈʌndəlɪt/
• (adjective, merged vowel) IPA^(key): /ˈʌndjələt/, /ˈʌnd͡ʒələt/, /ˈʌndələt/

• Audio (Southern England)

  (file)

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: An Essay of Inquiry into the Natural Production of Letters: , London: T. N for J Martyn printer to the R Society, , →OCLC:

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

2. (transitive) To cause to resemble a wave.
3. (intransitive) To move in wavelike motions.
   • 1865, Walt Whitman, “When Lilacs Last in the Dooryard Bloom’d”, in Sequel to Drum-Taps: When Lilacs Last in the Dooryard Bloom’d and other poems:

     Come lovely and soothing death, / Undulate round the world, serenely arriving, arriving, / In the day, in the night, to all, to each, / Sooner or later delicate death.

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

undulāte

1. vocative masculine singular of undulātus