fluctuate
vi.
3at#ed, 3at#ing 5< L fluctuatus, pp. of fluctuare < fluctus, a flowing, wave < pp. stem of fluere, to flow < IE *bhleu3, to swell up, flow (>BLUSTER) < base *bhel3, to swell up > BALL16
1 to move back and forth or up and down; rise and fall; undulate, as waves
2 to be continually changing or varying in an irregular way !prices fluctuated wildly"
vt.
to cause to fluctuate
—SYN SWING
fluctuant
adj.
fluc#tu[a$tion
n.
Which reminds me of a joke just before WWII actually began. Fear of war had caused rapid
inflation. A HongKong business man took money to the bank on Monday, and was disconcerted
to be told that he could not be credited wth face value of the currency, because its value had
fluctuated.
When he took more money to the bank the next day, he looked at the receipt, which was
far less than the face value of the currency he had deposited, and exclaimed: "Flucked again!"