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Added 9 October 2026

undulate

/ˈʌndjəleɪt/ verb

Latin root: undulātus First recorded: 1664 Wiktionary

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

Stir up (water) so as to form ripples.
Occur in soft rounded shapes.
The hills rolled past
Move in a wavy pattern or with a rising and falling motion.
The curtains undulated

adjective

Having a wavy margin and rippled surface.

Origin

First attested in 1664; borrowed from New Latin undulātus, the perfect passive participle of undulō (see -ate (verb-forming suffix)), from an unattested *undula (“small wave”), diminutive of Latin unda (“wave”).

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

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