LATIN DICTIONARYLexicon Latīnum
verbfirst conjugation

flūctuō

flūctuō (present infinitive flūctuāre, perfect active flūctuāvī, supine flūctuātum)
Classical[ˈfɫuːk.tu.oː]Ecclesiastical[ˈfluk.tu.o]

Meaning

  1. to surge, swell, undulate
  2. to fluctuate, vacillate
  3. to be restless, figuratively tossed by emotional distress
    [...] ingeminant cūrae, rūrsusque resurgēns / saevit amor, magnōque īrārum fluctuat aestū. [Dido’s] cares are redoubled, rising again and again. As her passion rages, she is tossed about by great waves of wrath. (Cf. Catullus 64.62: prōspicit et magnīs cūrārum fluctuat undīs.)29 BCE – 19 BCE, Vergilius, Aeneis 4.531–532

Conjugation conjugation 1

active indicative
formpresentimperfectfutureperfectpluperfectfut. perfect
1st sg.flūctuōflūctuābamflūctuābōflūctuāvīflūctuāveramflūctuāverō
fluctuārō
2nd sg.flūctuāsflūctuābāsflūctuābisflūctuāvistī
fluctuāstī		flūctuāverās
fluctuārās		flūctuāveris
3rd sg.flūctuatflūctuābatflūctuābitflūctuāvitflūctuāverat
fluctuārat		flūctuāverit
fluctuārit
1st pl.flūctuāmusflūctuābāmusflūctuābimusflūctuāvimusflūctuāverāmusflūctuāverimus
fluctuārimus
2nd pl.flūctuātisflūctuābātisflūctuābitisflūctuāvistis
fluctuāstis		flūctuāverātis
fluctuārātis		flūctuāveritis
fluctuāritis
3rd pl.flūctuantflūctuābantflūctuābuntflūctuāvērunt
flūctuāvēre, fluctuārunt		flūctuāverant
fluctuārant		flūctuāverint
fluctuārint
active subjunctive
active subjunctive
formpresentimperfectperfectpluperfect
1st sg.flūctuemflūctuāremflūctuāverim
fluctuārim		flūctuāvissem
fluctuāssem
2nd sg.flūctuēsflūctuārēsflūctuāverīsflūctuāvissēs
fluctuāssēs
3rd sg.flūctuetflūctuāretflūctuāverit
fluctuārit		flūctuāvisset
fluctuāsset
1st pl.flūctuēmusflūctuārēmusflūctuāverīmus
fluctuārīmus		flūctuāvissēmus
fluctuāssēmus
2nd pl.flūctuētisflūctuārētisflūctuāverītis
fluctuārītis		flūctuāvissētis
fluctuāssētis
3rd pl.flūctuentflūctuārentflūctuāverint
fluctuārint		flūctuāvissent
fluctuāssent
passive indicative
passive indicative
formpresentimperfectfuture
1st sg.flūctuorflūctuābarflūctuābor
2nd sg.flūctuāris
flūctuāre		flūctuābāris
flūctuābāre		flūctuāberis
flūctuābere
3rd sg.flūctuāturflūctuābāturflūctuābitur
1st pl.flūctuāmurflūctuābāmurflūctuābimur
2nd pl.flūctuāminīflūctuābāminīflūctuābiminī
3rd pl.flūctuanturflūctuābanturflūctuābuntur
passive subjunctive
passive subjunctive
formpresentimperfect
1st sg.flūctuerflūctuārer
2nd sg.flūctuēris
flūctuēre		flūctuārēris
flūctuārēre
3rd sg.flūctuēturflūctuārētur
1st pl.flūctuēmurflūctuārēmur
2nd pl.flūctuēminīflūctuārēminī
3rd pl.flūctuenturflūctuārentur
imperative
imperative
formactivepassive
pres. 2nd sg.flūctuāflūctuāre
pres. 2nd pl.flūctuāteflūctuāminī
fut. 2nd sg.flūctuātōflūctuātor
fut. 3rd sg.flūctuātōflūctuātor
fut. 2nd pl.flūctuātōte—
fut. 3rd pl.flūctuantōflūctuantor
infinitives & participles
infinitives & participles
formactivepassive
present infinitiveflūctuāreflūctuārī
perfect infinitiveflūctuāvisse
fluctuāsse		flūctuātum esse
future infinitiveflūctuātūrum esseflūctuātum īrī
present participleflūctuāns—
perfect participle—flūctuātus
flūctuāta, flūctuātā, flūctuātae, flūctuātam, flūctuātārum, flūctuātās, flūctuātī, flūctuātōrum, flūctuātōs
future participleflūctuātūrus
flūctuātūra, flūctuātūrā, flūctuātūrae, flūctuātūram, flūctuātūrārum, flūctuātūrās, flūctuātūre, flūctuātūrī, flūctuātūrīs, flūctuātūrō, flūctuātūrōrum, flūctuātūrōs, flūctuātūrum		flūctuandus
flūctuanda, flūctuandā, flūctuandae, flūctuandam, flūctuandārum, flūctuandās, flūctuande, flūctuandīs, flūctuandōrum, flūctuandōs
gerundflūctuandī, flūctuandō, flūctuandumsupineflūctuātum, flūctuātū

Phrases from Meissner's Latin Phrase-Book

fluctuare or fluctuari
driven by the waves.

fluctŭo, āvi, ātum, or (perh. not anteAug.) fluctŭor, ātus, 1 (pleraque utroque modo efferuntur:
I. fluctuatur, fluctuat, Quint. 9, 3, 7), v. n. fluctus, to move in the manner of waves, i. e. to wave, rise in waves, undulate, to move to and fro, be driven hither and thither (class.; esp. freq. in the trop. signif.; cf.: fluo, fluito).
I. Lit.
(a). Form fluctuo: nunc valide fluctuat mare, Plaut. Rud. 2, 1, 14: ita fluctuare video vehementer mare, id. ib. 4, 1, 12; 4, 2, 11: quadriremem in salo fluctuantem reliquerat, Cic. Verr. 2, 5, 35, § 91: quid tam commune quam mare fluctuantibus, litus ejectis? id. Rosc. Am. 26, 72: agebatur huc illuc Galba vario turbae fluctuantis impulsu, Tac. H. 1, 40; cf. Gell. 10, 6, 2: fluctuet aër, Lucr. 6, 367: directaeque acies ac late fluctuat omnis Aere renidenti tellus, waves (in the light) with gleaming brass, Verg. G. 2, 281: fluctuant insulae, Plin. 2, 95, 96, § 209: seges, Sen. Herc. Fur. 699.—In mal. part., Arn. 2, 73; Auct. Priap. 19, 4; cf. fluctus, I. —
(b). Form fluctuor: deprehensi in mari Syrtico modo in sicco relinquuntur, modo fluctuantur, are driven about by the waves, Sen. Vit. Beat. 14: Delos diu fluctuata, Plin. 4, 12, 22, § 66: quaedam insulae semper fluctuantur, id. 2, 94, 95, § 209 Jan.: lignum in longitudinem fluctuatur, i. e. floats about, id. 16, 38, 73, § 186: lapidem e Scyro insula integrum fluctuari tradunt, eundem comminutum mergi, id. 36, 16, 26, § 130.—
II. Trop., to be restless, unquiet, uncertain, doubtful; to rage, swell; to waver, hesitate, vacillate, fluctuate.
(a). Form fluctuo: Eu. Potin, ut animo sis tranquillo? Ch. Quid si animus fluctuat? Plaut. Merc. 5, 2, 49; cf.: animo nunc huc, nunc fluctuat illuc, Verg. A. 10, 680: mens animi tantis fluctuat ipsa malis, Cat. 65, 4: magnis curarum fluctuat undis, id. 64, 62; cf.: magnoque irarum fluctuat aestu, Verg. A. 4, 532; Anthol. Lat. 1, 178, 150: fluctuat ira intus, Verg. A. 12, 527: irarum fluctuat aestu, id. ib. 4, 564; so, curarum, 8, 19; Lucr. 4, 1077; Cat. 64, 62: ingenti Telamon fluctuat ira, Val. Fl. 3, 637: fluctuante rege inter spem metumque, Liv. 42, 59, 8: totam aciem suo pavore fluctuantem, etc., Curt. 3, 10, 6: in suo decreto, Cic. Ac. 2, 9, 29: fluctuantem sententiam confirmare, id. Att. 1, 20, 2: genus orationis, quod appellamus fluctuans et dissolutum, eo quod sine nervis et articulis fluctuat huc et illuc, Auct. Her. 4, 11, 16: omnia et citata et fluctuantia, Sen. Contr. 3, 19.—
(b). Form fluctuor: utrius populi mallet victoriam esse, fluctuatus animo fuerat, Liv. 23, 33, 3: fluctuatus animo est, utrum, etc., id. 32, 13, 4; 36, 10, 4; Curt. 4, 12, 21; Val. Max. 8, 1, 2: vita fluctuatur per adversa et difficilia, Sen. Ep. 111: semper inter spem et metum fluctuari, Aug. ap. Suet. Claud. 4: ambrosia (herba) vagi nominis est et circa alias herbas fluctuati, Plin. 27, 4, 11, § 28.

Origins

Proto-Indo-European *bʰel-der. Proto-Indo-European *bʰlewH-der. Proto-Indo-European *bʰluH-yé-ti? Latin fluō Proto-Indo-European *-tus Proto-Italic *-tus Latin -tus Latin flūctus Proto-Indo-European *-h₂ Proto-Indo-European *-éh₂ Proto-Indo-European *-yéti Proto-Indo-European *-eh₂yéti Proto-Indo-European *-h₂tiinflu. Proto-Italic *-ājō Proto-Italic *-āō Latin -ō Latin flūctuō From flūctus (“wave”) + -ō.

Descendants
  • Catalanfluctuar
  • Englishfluctuate
  • Frenchfluctuer
  • Italianfluttuare
  • Portugueseflutuar
  • Romanianfluctua
  • Romanianflutura
  • Spanishfluctuar
  • Albanianfluturoj
  • Norwegian Bokmålfluktuere

Quick answers

What does flūctuō mean in Latin?
flūctuō, a verb, means “to surge, swell, undulate; to fluctuate, vacillate; to be restless, figuratively tossed by emotional distress”.
What are the principal parts of flūctuō?
flūctuō, flūctuāre, flūctuāvī, flūctuātum (first conjugation).
How do you pronounce flūctuō?
In classical Latin, [ˈfɫuːk.tu.oː]; in ecclesiastical (church) Latin, [ˈfluk.tu.o].