nutate

N1U1T1A1T1E1

verb

To rock or sway involuntarily.

OriginLatin nūtātiō ← Proto-Indo-European *neu- →
Scrabble 6
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Meanings

verbnutate (third-person singular simple present nutates, present participle nutating, simple past and past participle nutated)

present singular third person nutates · participle present nutating · participle past nutated · past nutated

  1. intransitiveTo rock or sway involuntarily.
  2. intransitiveengineeringTo wobble; to make a circular rocking motion.

Origin

  1. Proto-Indo-European*neu-
  2. Latinnūtātiō“a nodding”
  3. Englishnutate

First attested in 1880; back-formation from nutation (1610s) on the basis of -ate (verb-forming suffix), from Latin nūtātiō (“a nodding”), from nūtō (“to nod”), from Proto-Indo-European *neu-. Compare mutate.

More words from Latin, Proto-Indo-European

Full word history & related roots →

Rhymes & wordplay

Rhymes with nutate

datestategreatratecreateupdateweightlatecertificatewaiteightstraightplatechocolatedebatehategatedonateevaluatelocatekatealternatetranslatemate
All rhymes →

Anagrams

TenutaUNTAETattunetauten
Cite this entry
APA

nutate. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/nutate

MLA

“nutate.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/nutate. Accessed November 2, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “nutate,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/nutate.

Source: nutate on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.