Where does “oscillator” come from?
Oscillator derives from English oscillate, from Latin oscillatus, the past participle of oscillare, which combined the prefix ob- with oscillum, a small weight or swing, itself from Ancient Greek ὀβολός, ultimately from ὀβελός meaning pointed object.
oscillator (English): A tuned electronic circuit used to generate a...
Definitions
- A tuned electronic circuit used to generate a...
Ancestry of “oscillator”, step by step
oscillator traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via English ‐or
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | ‐or | Creates an agent noun, often from a verb, indicating a person or object (often machines or parts of them) that do the verb or part of speech with which they are formed |
| 2 | Middle English | -our | — |
| 3 | Old French | -eor | Alternative form of -or |
| 4 | Latin | -ator | -ator, -er; second-person singular future passive... |
| 5 | Latin | -tor | -er |
| 6 | Proto-Italic | -tōr | Forms agent nouns to verb stems |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | -tōr | Derives agent nouns from verbs, denoting someone... |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | -tor-s | — |
via English oscillate
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | oscillate | To swing back and forth, especially if with a... |
| 2 | Latin | ōscillātus | — |
| 3 | Latin | ōscillō | to swing |