oscillator
/ˈɒsəˌleɪtə/AH-suh-lay-tur
/ˈɑsəˌleɪtɚ/AH-suh-lay-tur
Meaningone that swings
Common meaning: a person or thing that oscillates
- oscilla small swinging maskLewis & Short, Latin Dictionary (1879), p. 1282 · scan
- atverb or adjective ending: to make, having
- oragent ending: the doer, or the device that does it
Journey through time
- Latinōscillum, -ī‘a small swinging mask’
- Englishoscillate‘to swing back and forth’
- Englishformed in English from oscillateoscillator‘a person or thing that oscillates’ · today
Sources & notes
Inferred source: no dictionary we use has an entry for this exact word. Its history is worked out from closely related, listed words in the same family, and we are trusting that link, so bear that in mind. Inferred meaning: one that swings. It can be inferred from any of: oscillate.
Meaning: “Meaning” is the sense that emerges from the word’s roots; “Common meaning” is today’s everyday sense. Both written by us.
Pronunciation
- UK IPA: converted from the US form by rule (unchecked). Respelling: generated.
- No UK recording; the speaker uses your device’s en-GB voice.
- US IPA: CMUdict (BSD-2), converted to IPA by rule. Respelling: generated.
- No US recording; the speaker uses your device’s en-US voice.
Origin: Formed in English from oscillate + -or (inferred: this exact word is not listed in our dictionaries).
Roots
- ōscillum, -ī Latin “a small swinging mask”
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