oscillate

What it means

1. intransitiveTo swing back and forth, especially if with a regular rhythm.

   A pendulum oscillates slower as it gets longer.

   1 more example

   By placing the 0.02μF capacitor on top of the whistle chip, the circuit oscillates at a lower frequency.

   2021 December 28, “Snap Circuits Classic”, in Snap Circuits, Elenco, page 27

2. intransitiveTo vacillate between conflicting opinions, etc.

   The mood for change oscillated from day to day.

3. intransitiveTo vary above and below a mean value.

In a sentence

A pendulum oscillates slower as it gets longer.

Where it comes from

1. Latinōscillō“to swing”
2. Latinōscillātus
3. Englishoscillate

First attested in 1726; borrowed from Latin ōscillātus, perfect passive participle of Latin ōscillō (“to swing”) (see -ate (verb-forming suffix)), from ōscillum (“a swing”), usually identified with ōscillum (“a little face or mask hung on a tree that sways with the wind”), diminutive of ōs (“mouth, face”). See also osculate.