air wave
1
3.4
- noun
- /ɛr weɪv/
- Specialized
:
onda acústica
- During the concert, the audience felt the vibrations from the air wave created by the loud speakers.
Examples
-
The scientist explained how an air wave moves differently than sound traveling through water.
-
I am responsible for polluting the air waves... with mind-numbing, puenile entertainment.
-
You can hear the music clearly because the air wave carries the sound through the atmosphere.
Synonyms
20
3.5
A pattern of vibrations that moves through air, water, or solids and carries sound
1
4.5
A wave that carries sound through air, water, or a solid by vibrations
How Loud
Surface Forms
Morphology
The meaning 'a wave of sound that travels through the air' is directly and transparently derived from combining 'air' (the atmosphere) with 'wave' (a disturbance traveling through a medium). This noun–noun composition (wave in the air) follows regular compositional patterns found across languages, so a B1 learner who knows both constituents should be able to infer the meaning.
Etymology
The noun air wave comes from the simple image of a wave moving through the air, like ripples on water. When a loud sound or explosion pushes the air, that push travels as an air wave and carries 'sound' or 'pressure', so the name means 'a wave of sound or pressure that travels through the air'.