wave

I. verb (waved; waving) Etymology: Middle English, from Old English wafian to wave with the hands; akin to Old English wæfan to clothe and perhaps to Old English wefan to weave Date: before 12th century intransitive verb 1. to motion with the hands or with something held in them in signal or salute 2. to float, play, or shake in an air current ; move loosely to and fro ; flutter <

flags waving in the breeze

> 3. of water to move in waves ; heave 4. to become moved or brandished to and fro <

signs waved in the crowd

> 5. to move before the wind with a wavelike motion <

field of waving grain

> 6. to follow a curving line or take a wavy form ; undulate transitive verb 1. to swing (something) back and forth or up and down 2. to impart a curving or undulating shape to <

waved her hair

> 3. a. to motion to (someone) to go in an indicated direction or to stop ; flag, signal <

checked his name and waved him on

> <

waved down a passing car

> b. to gesture with (the hand or an object) in greeting or farewell or in homage c. to dismiss or put out of mind ; disregard — usually used with aside or off d. to convey by waving <

waved farewell

> 4. brandish, flourish <

waved a pistol menacingly

> Synonyms: see swing II. noun Date: 1526 1. a. a moving ridge or swell on the surface of a liquid (as of the sea) b. open water 2. a. a shape or outline having successive curves b. a waviness of the hair c. an undulating line or streak or a pattern formed by such lines 3. something that swells and dies away: as a. a surge of sensation or emotion <

a wave of anger swept over her

> b. a movement sweeping large numbers in a common direction <

waves of protest

> c. a peak or climax of activity <

a wave of buying

> 4. a sweep of hand or arm or of some object held in the hand used as a signal or greeting 5. a rolling or undulatory movement or one of a series of such movements passing along a surface or through the air 6. a movement like that of an ocean wave: as a. a surging movement of a group <

a big new wave of women politicians

> b. one of a succession of influxes of people migrating into a region c. (1) a moving group of animals of one kind (2) a sudden rapid increase in a population d. a line of attacking or advancing troops or airplanes e. a display of people in a large crowd (as at a sports event) successively rising, lifting their arms overhead, and quickly sitting so as to form a swell moving through the crowd 7. a. a disturbance or variation that transfers energy progressively from point to point in a medium and that may take the form of an elastic deformation or of a variation of pressure, electric or magnetic intensity, electric potential, or temperature b. one complete cycle of such a disturbance 8. a marked change in temperature ; a period of hot or cold weather 9. an undulating or jagged line constituting a graphic representation of an action • waveless adjective • wavelessly adverb • wavelike adjective