Definitions

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

  • intransitive verb To move in waves or with a smooth, wavelike motion.
  • intransitive verb To have a wavelike appearance or form.
  • intransitive verb To increase and decrease in volume or pitch.
  • intransitive verb To cause to move in a smooth wavelike motion.
  • intransitive verb To give a wavelike appearance or form to.
  • adjective Having a wavy outline or appearance.

from The Century Dictionary.

  • Wavy; having a waved surface.
  • To have a wavy motion; rise and fall in waves; move in waves.
  • Synonyms Waver, etc. See fluctuate.
  • To cause to wave, or move in waves; cause to vibrate.

from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.

  • transitive verb To cause to move backward and forward, or up and down, in undulations or waves; to cause to vibrate.
  • intransitive verb To move in, or have, undulations or waves; to vibrate; to wave.
  • adjective Same as undulated.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • verb transitive To cause to move in a wavelike motion.
  • verb transitive To cause to resemble a wave
  • verb intransitive To move in wavelike motions.
  • verb intransitive To appear wavelike.
  • adjective Wavy in appearance or form.
  • adjective Changing the pitch and volume of one's voice.
  • adjective botany, of a margin Winding up and down gradually relative to the blade.

from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.

  • adjective having a wavy margin and rippled surface
  • verb stir up (water) so as to form ripples
  • verb move in a wavy pattern or with a rising and falling motion
  • verb occur in soft rounded shapes
  • verb increase and decrease in volume or pitch, as if in waves

Etymologies

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition

[From Late Latin undula, small wave, diminutive of Latin unda, wave; see wed- in Indo-European roots.]

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

From Late Latin undulātus ("undulated"), from *undula ("small wave"), diminutive of Latin unda ("wave").

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Examples

Comments

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  • A wavy word, with "d", "l" and "t" rising above the surface.

    December 1, 2007