solitary wave
- noun
- Specialized
- Robots headed out to sea (IE) OCT 25 # Interacting solitary waves (UP) NOV 20 #
Examples
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Researchers have observed solitary waves that maintain their integrity as they propagate through different media.
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The solitary wave model has a theoretically infinite wave period, whereas the wave periods for periodic wave models are fixed.
Academic text (2018) -
Another motivation is that differences should exist for adopting different wave types in the bridge deck-wave interaction, especially for periodic and solitary waves.
Academic text (2018) -
Generally speaking, periodical waves and solitary waves differ in many aspects; for example, wave run-up, reflection, diffraction, and refraction.
Academic text (2018) -
The wave model adopted by Xu, Cai, and Han (2015) uses solitary waves that are quite different from periodic wave models (periodical waves) as discussed above, especially with regard to the wave period.
Academic text (2018) -
By this means, certain reflected waves by the landward bridge decks may increase or reduce the wave loads on the seaward bridge deck, which would be quite different from those associated with solitary waves (as depicted in Figure 2).
Academic text (2018) -
A solitary wave can travel long distances without losing its shape or energy.
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In certain nonlinear systems, a solitary wave propagates steadily while remaining distinct from others.
Synonyms
A single wave that moves without changing shape or losing energy
A single wave that keeps its shape while moving at steady speed in some materials
How Stable
- Specialized
Surface Forms
Morphology
The noun phrase is compositionally built from 'solitary' (alone) + 'wave' (a ripple or swell), so a B1 learner who knows the constituents will readily infer it refers to a single or isolated wave. While the precise technical properties (propagating unchanged in nonlinear systems) are specialist knowledge, the core meaning is literal and cross-linguistically transparent.
Etymology
The term solitary wave comes from a famous sighting long ago, when an engineer watched one single wave, a lone hump of water, travel along a canal without changing shape. That's why the name links solitary ('alone') and wave: it means 'a single wave that keeps its shape as it moves'.