weɪv v. & n. --v. 1 a intr. (often foll. by to)
move a
hand etc. to
and fro in
greeting or as a signal (waved to me
across the street). b tr. move (a hand etc.) in
this way. 2 a intr.
show a
sinuous or
sweeping motion as of a flag,
tree, or a
cornfield in the wind;
flutter,
undulate. b tr.
impart a waving motion
to. 3 tr.
brandish (a
sword etc.) as an encouragement to followers etc. 4 tr. tell or
direct (a person) by waving (waved
them away; waved them to follow). 5 tr. express (a greeting etc.) by waving (waved
goodbye to them). 6 tr.
give an undulating
form to (hair,
drawn lines, etc.);
make wavy. 7 intr. (of
hair etc.)
have such a form; be wavy. --n. 1 a
ridge of
water between two depressions. 2 a long
body of water
curling into an arched form and breaking on the shore. 3 a
thing compared to this, e.g. a body of persons in
one of
successive advancing groups. 4 a
gesture of waving. 5 a the process of waving the hair. b an undulating form produced in the hair by waving. 6 a a
temporary occurrence or
increase of a
condition,
emotion, or
influence (a wave of enthusiasm). b a specified
period of
widespread weather (heat wave). 7
Physics a the
disturbance of the particles of a
fluid medium to form ridges and troughs
for the propagation or
direction of motion,
heat,
light,
sound,
etc.,
without the
advance of the particles. b a
single curve in the
course of this motion (see
also standing wave, travelling wave (see TRAVEL)). 8 Electr. a
similar variation of an
electromagnetic field in the propagation of
radiation through a medium or
vacuum. 9 (in
pl.; prec. by the)
poet. the
sea; water. ømake waves colloq.
cause trouble. wave
aside dismiss as
intrusive or
irrelevant. wave down wave to (a
vehicle or
its driver) as a signal to
stop. wave
equation a
differential equation expressing the properties of motion in waves. wave-form Physics a curve
showing the
shape of a wave at a
given time. wave-front Physics a
surface containing points
affected in the
same way by a wave at a given time. wave
function a function satisfying a wave equation and describing the properties of a wave. wave
mechanics a
method of
analysis of the
behaviour esp. of
atomic phenomena with particles represented by wave equations (see
quantum mechanics). wave
number Physics the number of waves in a
unit distance. wave
theory hist. the theory
that light is propagated through the
ether by a wave-motion imparted to the ether by the
molecular vibrations of the
radiant body. øøwaveless adj. wavelike adj. & adv. [OE wafian (v.) f. Gmc: (n.) also alt. of ME wawe, wage]
