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Added 8 October 2026

vibrate

/vaɪˈbɹeɪt/ verb

In Latin: vibrō First recorded: 1420 Wiktionary

verb Definition from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA). Pronunciation from Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org. More about vibrate at Wordnik → Where our words come from →

To shake with small, rapid movements to and fro.
To resonate.
Her mind was vibrating with excitement.
To brandish; to swing to and fro.
to vibrate a sword or a staff

noun

The setting, on a portable electronic device, that causes it to vibrate rather than sound any (or most) needed alarms.
Please put your cellphones on vibrate for the duration of the meeting.

adjective

Vibrating with (something).

Origin

The adjective (then also used as a participle) is first attested in 1420, in Middle English, the verb in 1620; partly from Middle English vibrat(e) (“reverberant”), partly directly borrowed from Latin vibrātus, perfect passive participle of vibrō (“to agitate, set in tremulous motion”) (see -ate (etymology 1, 2 and 3)), ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *weyp- (“to oscillate, swing”) or *weyb-.

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

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