Emily Dickinson Lexicon

VI'BRATE, v.i. [L. vibro; It. vibrare. This word belongs to the root of Eng. wabble; W. gwibiaw, to wander, to move in a circular or serpentine direction.]

1. To swing; to oscillate; to move one way and the other; to play to and fro; as, the pendulum of a clock vibrate more or less rapidly, as it is shorter or longer. The chords of an instrument vibrate when touched.
2. To quiver; as, a whisper vibrates on the ear. – Pope.
3. To pass from one state to another; as, a man vibrates from one opinion to another.