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librate

[lahy-breyt]
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verb (used without object), li·brat·ed, li·brat·ing.
  1. to oscillate or move from side to side or between two points.
  2. to remain poised or balanced.
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Origin of librate

1615–25; < Latin lībrātus past participle of lībrāre. to balance, make level, bring to equilibrium. See Libra, -ate1
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Related Words for librate

vacillate, wobble, lurch, seesaw, waver, teeter, fluctuate, toss, flicker, vary, pitch, ripple, pivot, whirl, wag, dangle, undulate, stagger, vibrate, waggle

Examples from the Web for librate

Historical Examples of librate

  • In this epicycle he was not supposed to revolve, but to librate, or move up and down in its diameter.

    The Life of Galileo Galilei, with Illustrations of the Advancement of Experimental Philosophy

    John Elliot Drinkwater Bethune

British Dictionary definitions for librate

librate

verb (intr)
  1. to oscillate or waver
  2. to hover or be balanced
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Derived Formslibratory (ˈlaɪbrətərɪ, -trɪ), adjective

Word Origin for librate

C17: back formation from libration
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012