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Added 9 October 2026

fluctuate

/ˈflʌkt͡ʃu.eɪt/ verb

Latin root: flūctuātus First recorded: 1630 Wiktionary

verb Definition from WordNet 3.1, Princeton University. Pronunciation from Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org. More about fluctuate at Wordnik → Where our words come from →

Cause to fluctuate or move in a wavelike pattern.
Move or sway in a rising and falling or wavelike pattern.
the line on the monitor vacillated
Be unstable.
The stock market fluctuates

Origin

First attested in 1630; borrowed from Latin flūctuātus, perfect passive participle of flūctuō (“(of the sea) to surge, swell; (of man) to waver, fluctuate”), see -ate (verb-forming suffix) and -ate (adjective-forming suffix).

From Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org (CC BY-SA)

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