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Wave
(redirected from waved aside)

   Also found in: Medical, Legal, Financial, Encyclopedia 0.01 sec.
Wave  (wv)
n.
A member of the women's reserve of the U.S. Navy, organized during World War II, but now no longer a separate branch.

[From W(omen) A(ccepted for) V(olunteer) E(mergency Service).]

wave  (wv)
v. waved, wav·ing, waves
v.intr.
1. To move freely back and forth or up and down in the air, as branches in the wind.
2. To make a signal with an up-and-down or back-and-forth movement of the hand or an object held in the hand: waved as she drove by.
3. To have an undulating or wavy form; curve or curl: Her hair waves naturally.
v.tr.
1. To cause to move back and forth or up and down, either once or repeatedly: She waved a fan before her face.
2.
a. To move or swing as in giving a signal: He waved his hand. See Synonyms at flourish.
b. To signal or express by waving the hand or an object held in the hand: We waved goodbye.
c. To signal (a person) to move in a specified direction: The police officer waved the motorist into the right lane.
3. To arrange into curves, curls, or undulations: wave one's hair.
n.
1.
a. A ridge or swell moving through or along the surface of a large body of water.
b. A small ridge or swell moving across the interface of two fluids and dependent on surface tension.
2. The sea. Often used in the plural: vanished beneath the waves.
3. Something that suggests the form and motion of a wave in the sea, especially:
a. A moving curve or succession of curves in or on a surface; an undulation: waves of wheat in the wind.
b. A curve or succession of curves, as in the hair.
c. A curved shape, outline, or pattern.
4. A movement up and down or back and forth: a wave of the hand.
5.
a. A surge or rush, as of sensation: a wave of nausea; a wave of indignation.
b. A sudden great rise, as in activity or intensity: a wave of panic selling on the stock market.
c. A rising trend that involves large numbers of individuals: a wave of conservatism.
d. One of a succession of mass movements: the first wave of settlers.
e. A maneuver in which fans at a sports event simulate an ocean wave by rising quickly in sequence with arms upraised and then quickly sitting down again in a continuous rolling motion.
6. A widespread, persistent meteorological condition, especially of temperature: a heat wave.
7. Physics
a. A disturbance traveling through a medium by which energy is transferred from one particle of the medium to another without causing any permanent displacement of the medium itself.
b. A graphic representation of the variation of such a disturbance with time.
c. A single cycle of such a disturbance.
Phrasal Verb:
wave off
1. To dismiss or refuse by waving the hand or arm: waved off his invitation to join the group.
2. Sports To cancel or nullify by waving the arms, usually from a crossed position: waved off the goal because time had run out.

[Middle English waven, from Old English wafian; see webh- in Indo-European roots.]

waver n.

wave [weɪv]
vb
1. to move or cause to move freely to and fro the banner waved in the wind
2. (intr) to move the hand to and fro as a greeting
3. to signal or signify by or as if by waving something
4. (tr) to direct to move by or as if by waving something he waved me on
5. to form or be formed into curves, undulations, etc.
6. (Clothing, Personal Arts & Crafts / Textiles) (tr) to give a wavy or watered appearance to (silk, etc.)
7. (Clothing, Personal Arts & Crafts / Hairdressing & Grooming) (tr) to set waves in (the hair)
n
1. (Earth Sciences / Physical Geography) one of a sequence of ridges or undulations that moves across the surface of a body of a liquid, esp the sea: created by the wind or a moving object and gravity
2. any undulation on or at the edge of a surface reminiscent of such a wave a wave across the field of corn
(Earth Sciences / Physical Geography)
the waves the sea
4. anything that suggests the movement of a wave, as by a sudden rise a crime wave
5. a widespread movement that advances in a body a wave of settlers swept into the country
6. the act or an instance of waving
7. (Physics / General Physics) Physics an oscillation propagated through a medium or space such that energy is periodically interchanged between two kinds of disturbance. For example, an oscillating electric field generates a magnetic oscillation and vice versa, hence an electromagnetic wave is produced. Similarly a wave on a liquid comprises vertical and horizontal displacements See also antinode, longitudinal wave, node, standing wave, transverse wave
8. (Physics / General Physics) Physics a graphical representation of a wave obtained by plotting the magnitude of the disturbance against time at a particular point in the medium or space; waveform
9. (Earth Sciences / Physical Geography) a prolonged spell of some weather condition a heat wave
10. (Clothing, Personal Arts & Crafts / Hairdressing & Grooming) an undulating curve or series of curves or loose curls in the hair
11. (Clothing, Personal Arts & Crafts / Textiles) an undulating pattern or finish on a fabric
12. (Life Sciences & Allied Applications / Animals) short for wave moth
make waves to cause trouble; disturb the status quo
ride the wave US slang to enjoy a period of success and good fortune
[Old English wafian (vb); related to Old High German weban to weave, Old Norse vafra; see waver; C16 (n) changed from earlier wāwe, probably from Old English wǣg motion; compare wag1]
waveless  adj
wavelike  adj

wave  (wv)
A disturbance, oscillation, or vibration, either of a medium and moving through that medium (such as water and sound waves), or of some quantity with different values at different points in space, moving through space (such as electromagnetic waves or a quantum mechanical wave described by the wave function). See also longitudinal wavetransverse wavewave function See Note at refraction.
click for a larger image
wave
structure of a wave

Wave(s) a body of water; the forward movement of a large body of persons, animals, or things.
Examples: wave of admirals; wave after wave of the enemy, 1879; wave of enthusiasm; of error, 1781; of strong feeling, 1855; of immigrants, 1893; of materialism, 1903; of militarism, 1915; of opinion, 1870; of passion, 1781; of population, 1852; of prejudice, 1847; of snow, 1886; of tribulations; of weary wretchedness, 1590.

wave


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