Pendulates

Part of speech: verb

Definitions

1. To oscillate or sway back and forth like a pendulum; to fluctuate or vary between extremes in a rhythmic manner; to exhibit a tendency to swing from one opinion or state to another in a continuous motion
2. To move in a graceful arc or swing, resembling how a pendulum operates; to alternate between differing conditions or viewpoints in a measured cadence; to show a recurring motion that shifts back to a starting point
3. To describe a motion characterized by rhythmic oscillation similar to a pendulum; to experience a back-and-forth fluctuation in status or belief; to portray a continuous swing between opposing ideas or situations

Etymology: "Pendulates" is the third-person singular form of "pendulate," so its history is that of the verb itself. "Pendulate" is built on "pendulum," the Latin word for something hanging, from "pendere" ("to hang"), which also gave English "pendant," "suspend," and "depend." The verb was formed by adding the "-ate" ending, a common suffix for turning a noun into a verb, so the word means something like "to act as a pendulum." The image behind it is literal: a weight hung from a fixed point that swings back and forth under gravity. Over time the verb picked up the figurative sense of wavering between extremes, whether in opinions, moods or policies. The older root still shows in the everyday sense of "hanging," which the Latin base preserved long before English took up the swinging meaning.

Synonyms: oscillates, swings, sways, vibrates, dangles