Undulation

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A smooth, wave-like form characterized by regular fluctuations can be observed in physical mediums or abstract concepts alike
2. A motion or shape marked by gentle, rolling waves or ripples that often progress rhythmically
3. An appearance or action showing smooth, repeated rises and falls similar to waves on water

Etymology: "Undulation" comes from Medieval Latin "undulātiō," a noun built on "undulāre," "to move in waves," which itself derives from Latin "unda," "wave." The core image is therefore water in motion, and the English word has kept that sense: a gentle rise and fall, like the surface of a field of grass or a swell rolling across the sea. English could have reached the word through the Medieval Latin noun or through the adjective "undulate" with the suffix "-ion," and the two routes are hard to separate. The French "ondulation," which shares the same ancestry, shows the same pattern of wave-related imagery spreading through European languages.

Synonyms: wave, oscillation, fluctuation

Antonyms: stillness