carrier wave
7
6.1
- noun
- /ˈkɛrɪər weɪv/
- Specialized
:
onda portadora
- When troubleshooting the broadcast, they discovered that the carrier wave was not being transmitted correctly.
- subspace carrier wave
- band carrier wave
Examples
-
During a momentary lull, the flat hum of a carrier wave filled my head.
Fiction book (1995) -
Of course, when most people think about contact, they may be expecting something a little more personal than the detection of a narrow-band carrier wave from a sidereal source.
Academic text (1996) -
We see that our single carrier wave has now become split into three.
-
We have to stop the carrier wave.
-
That's called a carrier wave.
-
Further, a computer data signal representing the software code, which may be embedded in a carrier wave, may be transmitted via a communication network.
Blog text (21) -
Transmit ten seconds of unmodulated carrier wave on this frequency.
-
The carrier waves remained, linking us to the dead, until the enemy removed the solar panels and took the translator stations down from the mountaintops.
Fiction book (1998) -
The radio station transmits its signal using a carrier wave, which is modulated to convey audio information.
-
To establish a clear connection, the technician adjusted the carrier wave frequency for optimal signal transmission.
Synonyms
26
2.7
A wave used to send or receive information through the air
19
3.2
A wave of invisible energy that sends signals to radios and phones
16
5.6
A radio wave changed to send sound or data through the air
Surface Forms
Morphology
The compound is directly compositional: 'carrier' (one that carries) + 'wave' (a wave) yields a 'wave that carries' information, so the technical meaning is a straightforward extension of the parts. This follows a standard noun‑noun compounding pattern found across languages, so a B1 learner who knows both constituents can reasonably infer the MWE's meaning despite its technical register.
Etymology
Carrier wave comes from the picture of a carrier (like a small boat) on a wave: imagine the wave carrying a boat that holds a message. So a carrier wave is a radio wave that 'carries' information by small changes, and a radio reads those changes as sound or data.