undulate

1 of 2

adjective

un·du·late ˈən-jə-lət How to pronounce undulate (audio)

ˈən-dyə-

ˈən-də-,

-ˌlāt

variants or undulated

ˈən-jə-ˌlā-təd How to pronounce undulate (audio)

ˈən-dyə-,

ˈən-də-

: having a wavy surface, edge, or markings

the undulate margin of a leaf

undulate

2 of 2

verb

un·du·late ˈən-jə-ˌlāt How to pronounce undulate (audio)

ˈən-dyə-,

ˈən-də-

undulated; undulating

intransitive verb

: to form or move in waves : fluctuate

: to rise and fall in volume, pitch, or cadence

: to present a wavy appearance

transitive verb

: to cause to move in a wavy, sinuous, or flowing manner

Did you know?

Make Waves With the History of Undulate

Undulate and inundate are word cousins that branch from unda, the Latin word for "wave." No surprise there. But would you have guessed that abound, surround, and redound are also unda offspring? The connection between unda and these words is easier to see when you learn that at some point in their early histories each of them essentially had the meaning of "to overflow"—a meaning that inundate still carries, along with its "overwhelm" sense.

Example Sentences

Recent Examples on the Web

Verb

These fluffy boa-type feathers undulate beautifully in the water and make your fly look alive.

Aleta Burchyski, Outside Online, 20 May 2020 Dots undulate, bubble up, then dissolve into the depths below my cellphone screen.

New York Times, 29 Mar. 2022 For miles, the soft green slopes of the Blue Ridge Mountains undulate, fading into a honeyed patchwork of farmland and forest that kiss the horizon.

Washington Post, 26 Feb. 2022 Thousands of variously sized glass marbles, arranged on a dark, round mat, seem to undulate like boiling water, or maybe spacetime in a black hole.

Laura Hudson, Wired, 16 Nov. 2021 Two weeks ago, as the landslide hit unprecedented speed, causing the ground around it to undulate with each passing truck, the team conceded defeat and closed the back half of the park weeks earlier than anticipated.

Time, 7 Sep. 2021 Visitors tour through a history of the 19th-century painter's famously dramatic life and are surrounded by more then 300 of his paintings and sketches, which animate and undulate and drift around on all sides.

Duante Beddingfield, Detroit Free Press, 27 July 2021 Their five-centimeter-thick quadruped was able to crawl and undulate its way through a space just two centimeters high.

Larry Greenemeier, Scientific American, 30 Nov. 2011 Blades of strikingly green grass undulate in the currents.

Shane Gross; Text By Katherine Harmon Courage, Smithsonian Magazine, 18 Nov. 2020 See More

单词	undulates
释义	undulate 1 of 2 adjective un·du·late ˈən-jə-lət ˈən-dyə- ˈən-də-, -ˌlāt variants or undulated ˈən-jə-ˌlā-təd ˈən-dyə-, ˈən-də- : having a wavy surface, edge, or markings the undulate margin of a leaf undulate 2 of 2 verb un·du·late ˈən-jə-ˌlāt ˈən-dyə-, ˈən-də- undulated; undulating intransitive verb 1 : to form or move in waves : fluctuate 2 : to rise and fall in volume, pitch, or cadence 3 : to present a wavy appearance transitive verb : to cause to move in a wavy, sinuous, or flowing manner Did you know? Make Waves With the History of Undulate Undulate and inundate are word cousins that branch from unda, the Latin word for "wave." No surprise there. But would you have guessed that abound, surround, and redound are also unda offspring? The connection between unda and these words is easier to see when you learn that at some point in their early histories each of them essentially had the meaning of "to overflow"—a meaning that inundate still carries, along with its "overwhelm" sense. Example Sentences Recent Examples on the Web Verb These fluffy boa-type feathers undulate beautifully in the water and make your fly look alive. Aleta Burchyski, Outside Online, 20 May 2020 Dots undulate, bubble up, then dissolve into the depths below my cellphone screen. New York Times, 29 Mar. 2022 For miles, the soft green slopes of the Blue Ridge Mountains undulate, fading into a honeyed patchwork of farmland and forest that kiss the horizon. Washington Post, 26 Feb. 2022 Thousands of variously sized glass marbles, arranged on a dark, round mat, seem to undulate like boiling water, or maybe spacetime in a black hole. Laura Hudson, Wired, 16 Nov. 2021 Two weeks ago, as the landslide hit unprecedented speed, causing the ground around it to undulate with each passing truck, the team conceded defeat and closed the back half of the park weeks earlier than anticipated. Time, 7 Sep. 2021 Visitors tour through a history of the 19th-century painter's famously dramatic life and are surrounded by more then 300 of his paintings and sketches, which animate and undulate and drift around on all sides. Duante Beddingfield, Detroit Free Press, 27 July 2021 Their five-centimeter-thick quadruped was able to crawl and undulate its way through a space just two centimeters high. Larry Greenemeier, Scientific American, 30 Nov. 2011 Blades of strikingly green grass undulate in the currents. Shane Gross; Text By Katherine Harmon Courage, Smithsonian Magazine, 18 Nov. 2020 See More Word History Etymology Adjective Latin undulatus, from undula, diminutive of unda* wave — more at water Verb Late Latin undula small wave, from Latin undula First Known Use Adjective 1658, in the meaning defined above Verb 1664, in the meaning defined at intransitive sense 1 Kids Definition undulate verb un·du·late ˈən-jə-ˌlāt -də-, -dyə- undulated; undulating : to move in or as if in a wavy or flowing way The curtains were streamers, undulating* from the breeze … Gail Carson Levine, Ella Enchanted Medical Definition undulate adjective un·du·late ˈən-jə-lət ˈən-d(y)ə- -ˌlāt : having a wavy surface, edge, or markings an undulate cell undulates verb present tense third-person singular of undulate as in oscillates formal to move or be shaped like waves undulating hills an undulating surface Synonyms & Similar Words Relevance oscillates fluctuates waves vibrates flutters flickers convulses sways quivers shakes shudders jiggles wobbles joggles rocks agitates judders trembles jolts jerks swings buckets quavers quakes shivers pulsates chatters twitches beats wabbles thrills jounces throbs wavers pulses palpitates dodders pitter-patters pit-a-pats
随便看	enlisting in enlistment enlistments enlists enlists (in) enlists in enlive enliven enlivened enlivener enliveners enlivening enlivenment enlivenments enlivens enlock enlèvement enlèvements enmarble enmatter enmesh enmeshed enmeshes enmeshing enmeshment

undulate

adjective

verb

Did you know?

Example Sentences

Word History

Kids Definition

verb

Medical Definition

adjective

verb