oscillatory
Americanadjective
Etymology
Origin of oscillatory
1730–40; < New Latin oscillātōrius, equivalent to Latin oscillā ( re ) to swing ( see oscillate) + -tōrius -tory 1
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
The discovery of the oscillatory behavior with the Fischer Tropsch reaction was very surprising because the reaction is mechanistically extremely complicated.
From Science Daily • Oct. 5, 2023
The torso and lower legs each move relative to the seat in an oscillatory fashion, but the frequency of that oscillation changes to remain optimal for pumping.
From Science Magazine • Apr. 6, 2023
The patient eventually needed a rare treatment known as high-frequency oscillatory ventilation, which involves gentle vibrations that move air around in the lungs.
From New York Times • Aug. 27, 2021
This oscillatory coupling enables a person to quickly recognize a familiar face at work, but it also makes it more difficult to identify the same co-worker in an unfamiliar place.
From Scientific American • Mar. 12, 2020
Concussions also occur, resembling distant thunder, producing oscillatory movements of surrounding objects, and a tremulous motion of the premises upon which these phenomena occur.
From The Death-Blow to Spiritualism Being the True Story of the Fox Sisters by Davenport, Reuben Briggs
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
