ˌäsəˈlāshən noun
( -s )
Etymology: Latin oscillation-, oscillatio action of swinging, from oscillatus (past participle of oscillare to swing) + -ion-, -io -ion
1. : the action or fact of oscillating : a swinging or moving backward and forward like a pendulum : vibration
stays can be effectively used to prevent aerodynamic oscillations in new bridges — D.B.Steinman
vibration in aircraft occurs principally as a result of oscillations from the motor and propeller — H.G.Armstrong
a diatomic molecule … can absorb vibrational energy by oscillation of the atoms within the molecule — F.H.Getman
2.
a. : a periodic variation or fluctuation between conditions
famines due to excessive storminess and violent oscillations of rain and drought, heat and cold — Ellsworth Huntington
major prosperities and depressions are not to be explained by the process and mechanism of business cycles (endogenous oscillations ) — Clark Warburton
men get tired of everything, of heaven no less than of hell; and that all history is nothing but a record of the oscillations of the world between these two extremes — G.B.Shaw
b. : the change back and forth between opposing beliefs, opinions, or theories : variation in attitudes, policies, principles, or purposes often for fickle reasons
fruitless oscillations or the decision to make no decision will destroy his days — J.B.Conant
a lover's instant oscillation from black to white, from hate to love — Clemence Dane
3. : a flow of electricity changing periodically from a maximum to a minimum or from positive to negative when an electrical system with capacitance and inductance is disturbed from equilibrium
4. : the variation of a mathematical function between limits ; specifically : the difference between the greatest and least values of a function
5.
a. : a single swing from one extreme limit to the other of an oscillating body
b. : one of the periodic variations of an oscillating variable (as the electron current in a radio tube) — compare harmonic oscillation
• os·cil·la·tion·al | ̷ ̷ ̷ ̷|lāshən ə l, -shnəl adjective