undulate

English

Etymology 1

First attested in 1664; borrowed from New Latin undulātus, the perfect passive participle of undulō (see -ate (verb-forming suffix)), from an unattested *undula (“small wave”), diminutive of Latin unda (“wave”).

Pronunciation

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

• 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[ewcomb] for J[ohn] Martyn printer to the R[oyal] 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

transitive: cause to move in a wave

Bulgarian: вълнувам (bg) (vǎlnuvam) Catalan: ondular (ca), ondar (ca) Danish: ondulere (da), svinger Finnish: värisyttää (fi), saada aaltoilemaan German: wogen (de), schwingen (de), wellenförmig bewegen Greek: κυματίζω (el) (kymatízo) Korean: 흔들다 (ko) (heundeulda) Ottoman Turkish: طالغه‌لانمق (dalgalanmak) Portuguese: ondular (pt), ondear Russian: ряби́ть (ru) (rjabítʹ) Slovene: vzvalovati Spanish: ondear (es) Swedish: (please verify) försätta något i vågrörelse, (please verify) komma något att bölja Turkish: dalgalandırmak (tr)

transitive: cause to resemble a wave

Bulgarian: правя вълнообразен (pravja vǎlnoobrazen) Catalan: ondar (ca) Finnish: aallottaa (fi) German: wellen (de), ondulieren (de) Hungarian: hullámosít (hu), ondolál (hu) Portuguese: ondular (pt) Russian: ряби́ть (ru) (rjabítʹ)

intransitive: move in wavelike motions

Bulgarian: вълнувам се (vǎlnuvam se) Catalan: onejar (ca), ondular (ca) Finnish: aaltoilla (fi) French: onduler (fr), ondoyer (fr) German: wellen (de), wallen (de), wogen (de), undulieren, wiegen (de), sich wellenförmig bewegen Greek: κυμαίνομαι (el) (kymaínomai) Hungarian: hullámzik (hu) Korean: 흔들리다 (ko) (heundeullida) (rattle, shake, vibrate, swing, be shaky) (intransitive) Maori: māpuna, ngapu, pūwakawaka Norwegian: Bokmål: bølge (no) Ottoman Turkish: طالغه‌لانمق (dalgalanmak) Polish: falować (pl) impf Portuguese: ondular (pt), ondear Russian: ряби́ть (ru) (rjabítʹ) Spanish: ondear (es), ondular (es) Swedish: bölja (sv), (please verify) gå i vågor, (please verify) röra sig i vågor Turkish: dalgalanmak (tr)

intransitive: resemble a wave

Bulgarian: вълнообразен съм (vǎlnoobrazen sǎm) Finnish: kiemurrella (fi) German: schlängeln (de)

The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables. See instructions at Wiktionary:Entry layout § Translations.

Translations to be checked

Dutch: (please verify) golven (nl) Korean: (please verify) 흔들거리다 (ko) (heundeul-georida) (intransitive)

See also

• oscillate

Etymology 2

Borrowed from Late Latin undulātus (“undulated”), see -ate (adjective-forming suffix).

Pronunciation

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

• Audio (Southern England); /ˈʌnd͡ʒələt/:

  (file)

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

wavy in appearance or form

Bulgarian: вълнообразен (bg) (vǎlnoobrazen) Estonian: lainetav (et) sg Greek: κυματώδης (el) m or f (kymatódis), κυματοειδής (el) m or f (kymatoeidís), κυματιστός (el) m (kymatistós) Norwegian: Bokmål: bølget Polish: falisty (pl) m, pofałdowany m Portuguese: ondulado (pt) Russian: волни́стый (ru) (volnístyj), волнообра́зный (ru) (volnoobráznyj) Spanish: ondulado (es)

changing one's voice

Polish: falujący m Turkish: dalgalanma (tr)

Latin

Adjective

undulāte

1. vocative masculine singular of undulātus