Word of the Day

verb

From the window of our bed-and-breakfast, we had a gorgeous view of the green hills undulating into the distance.

"Seeded with drought-tolerant California native plants, the 1.5-acre surface gently undulates, mimicking the surrounding hillsides." — From an article by Paul Sisson in the North County Times (Escondido, California), July 26, 2012

"Undulate" and "inundate" are word cousins, sharing "unda," the Latin word for "wave," as their common ancestor. No surprise there. But would you have guessed that "abound," "surround," and "redound" are also "unda" offspring? The connection between "unda" and these words is easier to see when you learn that at some point in their early histories each of them essentially had the meaning of "to overflow"—a meaning that "inundate" still carries, along with its "overwhelm" sense.

Word Family Quiz: What is the meaning of the adjective "undulate"? The answer is ...

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