noun
oscillator
noun
1
An electronic circuit built to produce a continuous, repeating wave signal.
"The synthesizer's oscillator generates the raw tone before any effects are applied."
"A faulty oscillator can throw an entire radio transmitter out of tune."
2
A device that measures how stiff a material is by twisting a weighted wire and timing its back-and-forth motion.
"The lab used a torsion oscillator to test the wire's rigidity."
3
In cellular automata such as Conway's Game of Life, a pattern that cycles back to its original shape after a fixed number of steps.
"The "blinker" is the simplest known oscillator in the Game of Life."
How to Use Oscillator
Learner’s notesIn plain EnglishSomething that keeps producing a repeating back-and-forth pattern — most often an electronic circuit generating a wave.
Common pairings
electronic oscillator
crystal oscillator
oscillator circuit
Word Forms
oscillators plural
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The synthesizer's _____ generates the raw tone before any effects are applied.
Etymology
Formed by adding the agent suffix "-or" to "oscillate," from Latin oscillare, "to swing."