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librate

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librate¹

  • /ˈlaɪbɹeɪt/

Where it comes from

First attested in 1623; borrowed from Latin lībrātus, perfect passive participle of lībrō (see -ate (verb-forming suffix)), from lībra (“a balance”).

verb librates · librating · librated

  1. intransitive To oscillate (like the beam of a balance). Their parts all librate on too nice a beam.
  2. figuratively, intransitive To waver or deliberate between two opposing thoughts or choices. But she winds about him coil after coil of her glittering rhetoric, in which reason holds its own as it librates with specious feeling.
  3. intransitive To be poised; to balance oneself. Her playful Sea-horse […] His watery way with waving volutes wins, / Or listening librates on unmoving fins.
  4. obsolete, transitive To place in a balance; to weigh.

librate²

  • /ˈlaɪbɹeɪt/

Where it comes from

From Medieval Latin lībrāta, from Latin lībra (“pound”).

noun librates

  1. historical A piece of land having a value of one pound per year.

Translations

Every language

verb to oscillate

Deutschausschwingen, pendeln, ins Gleichgewicht bringen, einschwingen, oszillieren

verb to be poised, to balance

Deutschbalancieren, ausgleichen, glattstellen, verharren, schweben

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Cite this
MLA

"librate." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/librate. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026.

APA

librate. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/librate

Chicago

"librate." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/librate.

BibTeX
@misc{librate_2026,
  title = {librate},
  howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
  year = {2026},
  url = {https://micwyn.com/word/librate},
  urldate = {2026-11-06}
}