Wave

Part of speech: noun, verb

Pronunciation: /weɪv/

Definitions

1. A disturbance that moves across the surface of water causing rises and falls ; a motion made by raising and lowering the hand to greet or signal someone ; a transmission of energy through space or a medium, often as a regular oscillation
2. An undulating movement on water caused by wind or other forces ; a deliberate hand motion used to attract attention or say hello ; a rhythmic pattern through which energy, such as light or sound, travels
3. The rising and falling motion seen on bodies of water ; a physical gesture involving the hand to communicate or welcome ; a series of oscillations that transfer energy without transporting matter

Etymology: The English noun "wave" is really two words that merged. One strand comes from Old English "wǣg," meaning a billow or flood on the sea, which traces back to a Germanic root meaning "motion" or "storm." The other comes from the verb "waven," from Old English "wafian," meaning to fluctuate, waver, or even wonder, a sense that survives today in "waver." Over centuries these two streams blended in Middle English, so the sea-swell noun and the sweeping-hand gesture now share one spelling. The same ancient root shows up across the North Sea world. Dutch "waag," Danish "våg," and Swedish "våg" all mean wave, and Old Norse "vágr," meaning ocean or wave, is the ancestor of French "vague." English borrowed that French word too, so "vague" and "wave" are distant relatives, one of them having travelled through French and back.

Synonyms: swell, curl, undulation

Antonyms: calm, stillness