undulate

[v. uhn-juh-leyt, uhn-dyuh-, -duh-; adj. uhn-juh-lit, -leyt, uhn-dyuh-, -duh-] /v. ˈʌn dʒəˌleɪt, ˈʌn dyə-, -də-; adj. ˈʌn dʒə lɪt, -ˌleɪt, ˈʌn dyə-, -də-/
verb (used without object), undulated, undulating.
1.
to move with a sinuous or wavelike motion; display a smooth rising-and-falling or side-to-side alternation of movement:
The flag undulates in the breeze.
2.
to have a wavy form or surface; bend with successive curves in alternate directions.
3.
(of a sound) to rise and fall in pitch:
the wail of a siren undulating in the distance.
verb (used with object), undulated, undulating.
4.
to cause to move in waves.
5.
to give a wavy form to.
adjective
6.
Also, undulated. having a wavelike or rippled form, surface, edge, etc.; wavy.
Origin
1650-60; < Latin undulātus waved, equivalent to und(a) wave + -ul(a) -ule + -ātus -ate1
Related forms
undulator, noun
nonundulate, adjective
nonundulating, adjective
Examples from the web for undulate
  • The plesiosaur, being a reptile, wouldn't undulate but move from side to side.
  • Every time a major storm blew in from the north, the sea would undulate under our camp, and the ice would break up all around us.
  • The roof is an ocean swell thickly rippled with ceramic tiles that undulate in colors as well as curves.
  • Tents of many kinds and sizes undulate across the dunes.
  • The rice stalks, newly planted, undulate in the breeze as they stretch toward the sun.
  • They slowly undulate around her, shivering to generate warmth.
  • When they occur, they cause the ground to undulate and shake, perhaps violently.
  • The facades undulate with alternating swell-fronts and rectilinear bays.
  • The bulb-coats are brown or gray, thin, with horizontal undulate reticulation in vertical rows.
  • Leaf margins are undulate with small teeth that are close set, and stick straight out from the leaf blade.
British Dictionary definitions for undulate

undulate

/ˈʌndjʊˌleɪt/
verb
1.
to move or cause to move in waves or as if in waves
2.
to have or provide with a wavy form or appearance
adjective (ˈʌndjʊlɪt; -ˌleɪt)
3.
having a wavy or rippled appearance, margin, or form: an undulate leaf
Derived Forms
undulator, noun
Word Origin
C17: from Latin undulātus, from unda a wave
Word Origin and History for undulate
v.

1660s, from undulation. Related: undulated, undulating.