nutate

English

Etymology

First attested in 1880; back-formation from nutation (1610s) on the basis of -ate (verb-forming suffix), from Latin nūtātiō (“a nodding”), from nūtō (“to nod”), from Proto-Indo-European *neu-. Compare mutate.

Pronunciation

• Rhymes: -eɪt

Verb

nutate (third-person singular simple present nutates, present participle nutating, simple past and past participle nutated)

1. (intransitive) To rock or sway involuntarily.
2. (intransitive, engineering) To wobble; to make a circular rocking motion.

Derived terms

• circumnutate

Anagrams

• UNTAET, attune, tauten

Interlingua

Participle

nutate

1. past participle of nutar

Latin

Participle

nūtāte

1. vocative masculine singular of nūtātus