Meanings
nounsolitary wave (plural solitary waves)
plural solitary waves
- natural sciencesA self-reinforcing pulse or travelling wave caused by any non-linear effect (found in many physical systems).
Synonyms & antonyms
noun(physics) a quantum of energy or quasiparticle that can be propagated as a traveling wave in nonlinear systems and is neither preceded nor followed by another such disturbance; does not obey the superposition principle and does not dissipate
Similar
solitonsoliton wave
Also see
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
Translations
Chinese Mandarin 孤波, 孤立波
- 孤波 (gūbō)Translations
- 孤立波 (gūlìbō)Translations
Japanese 孤立波
- 孤立波 (koritsuha)Translations
Cite this entry
APA
solitary wave. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/solitary%20wave
MLA
“solitary wave.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/solitary%20wave. Accessed November 4, 2026.
Chicago
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “solitary wave,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/solitary%20wave.
Source: solitary wave on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.