Undulation
noun
noun ·Uncommon ·Advanced level
Definitions
Noun
- 1 An instance or act of undulating. countable, uncountable
"But the next undulation would raise us, showing the island ablaze in the sunlight, an emerald of dazzling beauty resting lightly on the bosom of the sea."
- 2 (physics) a movement up and down or back and forth wordnet
- 3 A wavy appearance or outline; waviness. countable, uncountable
- 4 wavelike motion; a gentle rising and falling in the manner of waves wordnet
- 5 A tremulous tone produced by a peculiar pressure of the finger on a string. countable, uncountable
Show 5 more definitions
- 6 an undulating curve wordnet
- 7 A wavelike curve; a smooth and regular rise and fall. countable, uncountable
- 8 A wavelike motion of the air; electromagnetic radiation. countable, uncountable
- 9 A feeling as if of an undulatory motion about the heart. countable, dated, uncountable
- 10 The distinctive motion of the matter within an abscess on being pressed when it is ripe for opening. countable, dated, uncountable
Example
More examples"But the next undulation would raise us, showing the island ablaze in the sunlight, an emerald of dazzling beauty resting lightly on the bosom of the sea."
Etymology
From undulate + -ion, or borrowed from Medieval Latin undulātiō; compare French ondulation.
More for "undulation"
Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.