vibration
/vaɪˈbreɪʃən/
noun
Origin
Latin
vibrare — to shake, agitate, or brandish
Overview
Meaning Now
- A rapid back-and-forth motion of an object or particle.
- A feeling or atmosphere that a person, place, or situation gives off; an aura.
Literal older meaning
a shaking or brandishing
Language path
Latin → Middle French → English
Earliest form
vibratio
Earliest period
17th century
Journey
The term entered the English language during the Scientific Revolution, initially used in the context of physics and acoustics to describe the motion of strings and sound waves. By the 20th century, the meaning expanded metaphorically to denote the intuitive feeling or 'energy' projected by someone or something.
Evolution
- Proto-Indo-European
*weip-
“to turn, shake, or tremble”
- Latin
vibrare
“to shake or quiver”
- Middle French
vibration
“an act of shaking or vibrating”
Introduced through learned scientific writing
- Modern English
vibration
“regular periodic motion”
Connections
Word parts
vibr-
root
shake
-ation
suffix
suffix forming nouns from verbs
Related across languages
French
vibration
Italian
vibrazione
vibration
Spanish
vibración
vibration
Explore next
Related to vibration
External references use DefinedTerm semantics.