electric waven.
/ᵻˌlɛktrɪk ˈweɪv/, U.S. /əˌlɛktrɪk ˈweɪv/, /iˌlɛktrɪk ˈweɪv/ now rare.
An electric signal in the form of a wave; a rhythmically varying voltage; (also) an electromagnetic wave.
ΚΠ
1848 Sci. Amer. 30 Dec. 116/3 The velocity of the electric wave along the telegraph wire is nearly 200,000 miles per second.
1862 Proc. Royal Soc. 12 211 Experiments..were undertaken to determine..the relative speed of the electric wave through cables of various lengths.
1902 Encycl. Brit. XXVIII. 55/2 Electric waves must be passing through the dielectric surrounding a condenser in the act of discharging.
1947 H. T. Stetson Sunspots in Action iii. 24 The waves or pulses of radiation which the sun sends out do not differ very much in kind from the electric waves sent out from broadcasting stations.
1991 M. S. Aronoff Sleep & Its Secrets vi. 109 In the 1930s it was noted that the brain itself gave off electric waves.
This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, June 2008; most recently modified version published online March 2022).
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n.1848