Meanings
undulate1
present singular third person undulates · participle present undulating · participle past undulated · past undulated
- intransitiveTo move in wavelike motions.
His tongue undulated.
1 more example
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.
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 - intransitiveTo appear wavelike.
undulate2
comparative more undulate · superlative most undulate
Synonyms & antonyms
adjectivehaving a wavy margin and rippled surface
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
undulate · verb
- Latinunda“wave”
- New Latinundulātus
- Englishundulate
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”).
More words from New Latin, Latin
Full word history & related roots →undulate · adjective
- Late Latinundulātus“undulated”
- Englishundulate
Borrowed from Late Latin undulātus (“undulated”), see -ate (adjective-forming suffix).
More words from Late Latin
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Bulgarian вълнувам, правя вълнообразен
- вълнувам (vălnuvam)transitive: cause to move in a wave
- правя вълнообразен (pravja vălnoobrazen)transitive: cause to resemble a wave
- вълнообразен съм (vălnoobrazen săm)intransitive: resemble a wave
- вълнувам се (vălnuvam se)intransitive: move in wavelike motions
- вълнообразен (vălnoobrazen)wavy in appearance or form
Catalan ondular, ondar
- ondulartransitive: cause to move in a wave
- ondartransitive: cause to move in a wave
- ondartransitive: cause to resemble a wave
- onejarintransitive: move in wavelike motions
- ondularintransitive: move in wavelike motions
Danish ondulere, svinger
- onduleretransitive: cause to move in a wave
- svingertransitive: cause to move in a wave
Estonian lainetav
- lainetavwavy in appearance or form
Finnish värisyttää, saada aaltoilemaan
- värisyttäätransitive: cause to move in a wave
- saada aaltoilemaantransitive: cause to move in a wave
- aallottaatransitive: cause to resemble a wave
- kiemurrellaintransitive: resemble a wave
- aaltoillaintransitive: move in wavelike motions
French onduler, ondoyer
- ondulerintransitive: move in wavelike motions
- ondoyerintransitive: move in wavelike motions
German wogen, schwingen
- wogentransitive: cause to move in a wave
- schwingentransitive: cause to move in a wave
- wellenförmig bewegentransitive: cause to move in a wave
- wellentransitive: cause to resemble a wave
- ondulierentransitive: cause to resemble a wave
- schlängelnintransitive: resemble a wave
- wellenintransitive: move in wavelike motions
- wallenintransitive: move in wavelike motions
- wogenintransitive: move in wavelike motions
- undulierenintransitive: move in wavelike motions
- wiegenintransitive: move in wavelike motions
- sich wellenförmig bewegenintransitive: move in wavelike motions
Greek κυματίζω, κυμαίνομαι
- κυματίζω (kymatízo)transitive: cause to move in a wave
- κυμαίνομαι (kymaínomai)intransitive: move in wavelike motions
- κυματώδης (kymatódis)wavy in appearance or form
- κυματοειδής (kymatoeidís)wavy in appearance or form
- κυματιστός (kymatistós)wavy in appearance or form
Hungarian hullámosít, ondolál
- hullámosíttransitive: cause to resemble a wave
- ondoláltransitive: cause to resemble a wave
- hullámzikintransitive: move in wavelike motions
Korean 흔들다, 흔들리다
- 흔들다 (heundeulda)transitive: cause to move in a wave
- 흔들리다 (heundeullida)intransitive: move in wavelike motions
Māori māpuna, ngapu
- māpunaintransitive: move in wavelike motions
- ngapuintransitive: move in wavelike motions
- pūwakawakaintransitive: move in wavelike motions
Norwegian Bokmål bølge, bølget
- bølgeintransitive: move in wavelike motions
- bølgetwavy in appearance or form
Polish falować, falisty
- falowaćintransitive: move in wavelike motions
- falistywavy in appearance or form
- pofałdowanywavy in appearance or form
- falującychanging one's voice
Portuguese ondular, ondear
- ondulartransitive: cause to move in a wave
- ondeartransitive: cause to move in a wave
- ondulartransitive: cause to resemble a wave
- ondularintransitive: move in wavelike motions
- ondearintransitive: move in wavelike motions
- onduladowavy in appearance or form
Russian ряби́ть, ряби́ть
- ряби́ть (rjabítʹ)transitive: cause to move in a wave
- ряби́ть (rjabítʹ)transitive: cause to resemble a wave
- ряби́ть (rjabítʹ)intransitive: move in wavelike motions
- волни́стый (volnístyj)wavy in appearance or form
- волнообра́зный (volnoobráznyj)wavy in appearance or form
Spanish ondear, ondear
- ondeartransitive: cause to move in a wave
- ondearintransitive: move in wavelike motions
- ondularintransitive: move in wavelike motions
- onduladowavy in appearance or form
Swedish bölja
- böljaintransitive: move in wavelike motions
Turkish dalgalandırmak, dalgalanmak
- dalgalandırmaktransitive: cause to move in a wave
- dalgalanmakintransitive: move in wavelike motions
- dalgalanmachanging one's voice
Cite this entry
undulate. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/undulate
“undulate.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/undulate. Accessed November 3, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “undulate,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/undulate.
Source: undulate on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.