vibrate

The story

1. Proto-Indo-European · derived from*weyp-“to oscillate, swing”
2. Latin · borrowed fromvibrātus
3. Middle English · inherited fromvibrat(e)“reverberant”
4. English todayvibrate

The adjective (then also used as a participle) is first attested in 1420, in Middle English, the verb in 1620; partly from Middle English vibrat(e) (“reverberant”), partly directly borrowed from Latin vibrātus, perfect passive participle of vibrō (“to agitate, set in tremulous motion”) (see -ate (etymology 1, 2 and 3)), ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *weyp- (“to oscillate, swing”) or *weyb-.

Words from the same roots