"one who or that which oscillates," agent noun in Latin form from oscillate; by 1835 of persons, figuratively; by 1889 in reference to electric currents. Related: Oscillatory.
Entries linking to oscillator
oscillate v.
1726, intransitive, "to vibrate, move backward and forward," as a pendulum does, a back-formation from oscillation, or else from Latin oscillatus, past participle of oscillare "to swing." Transitive sense of "cause to swing backward and forward" is by 1766. From 1917 in electronics, "cause oscillation in an electric current." Related: Oscillated; oscillating.