ˌfləkchəˈwāshən, -ksh- noun
( -s )
Etymology: Middle English fluctuacioun, from Latin fluctuation-, fluctuatio, from fluctuatus + -ion-, -io -ion
1. : a wavering or unsteadiness (as of opinion or prices)
2. : a motion like that of waves : a moving in this and that direction
the fluctuations of the sea
3.
a. : a slight and nonheritable variation ; especially : such a variation occurring in response to environmental factors
b. : recurrent and often more or less cyclic alteration (as of form, size, or color of a bodily part)
4. : the wavelike motion of a fluid collected in a natural or artificial cavity of the body observed by palpation or percussion