sawtooth wave

noun

A function or waveform that repeatedly ramps upwards (usually linearly) and then sharply drops.

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Meanings

nounsawtooth wave (plural sawtooth waves)

plural sawtooth waves

  1. engineeringA function or waveform that repeatedly ramps upwards (usually linearly) and then sharply drops.

Origin

From sawtooth + wave, named for its resemblance to the jagged teeth of a saw when graphed.

Full word history & related roots →

Translations

Chinese Mandarin 鋸齒波 /锯齿波
  • 鋸齒波 /锯齿波 (jùchǐbō)function or waveform that ramps upwards and then sharply drops
Dutch zaagtandgolf, zaagtand
  • zaagtandgolffunction or waveform that ramps upwards and then sharply drops
  • zaagtandfunction or waveform that ramps upwards and then sharply drops
Estonian saehammaslaine
  • saehammaslainefunction or waveform that ramps upwards and then sharply drops
Finnish sahalaita-aalto, saha-aalto
  • sahalaita-aaltofunction or waveform that ramps upwards and then sharply drops
  • saha-aaltofunction or waveform that ramps upwards and then sharply drops
French onde en dents de scie
  • onde en dents de sciefunction or waveform that ramps upwards and then sharply drops
German Sägezahnschwingung
  • Sägezahnschwingungfunction or waveform that ramps upwards and then sharply drops
Italian onda a dente di sega
  • onda a dente di segafunction or waveform that ramps upwards and then sharply drops
Japanese のこぎり波
  • のこぎり波 (nokogiri nami)function or waveform that ramps upwards and then sharply drops
Polish fala ząbkowana
  • fala ząbkowanafunction or waveform that ramps upwards and then sharply drops
Portuguese onda dente de serra
  • onda dente de serrafunction or waveform that ramps upwards and then sharply drops
Russian пилообра́зная волна́
  • пилообра́зная волна́ (piloobráznaja volná)function or waveform that ramps upwards and then sharply drops
Swedish sågtandsvåg, sågtand
  • sågtandsvågfunction or waveform that ramps upwards and then sharply drops
  • sågtandfunction or waveform that ramps upwards and then sharply drops
Cite this entry
APA

sawtooth wave. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/sawtooth%20wave

MLA

“sawtooth wave.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/sawtooth%20wave. Accessed November 4, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “sawtooth wave,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/sawtooth%20wave.

Source: sawtooth wave on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.