brain wave

noun

Usually brain waves. Medicine/Medical. electrical potentials or impulses given off by brain tissue.Compare alpha rhythm, beta rhythm, delta rhythm.

Informal. a sudden idea or inspiration; brainstorm.

Origin of brain wave

First recorded in 1865–70

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for brainwave

Historical Examples of brainwave

"It was a sort of second-sight—what they call a brainwave," Nick smiled.
The Tragic Muse
Henry James
Thought exchange by "brainwave" is wonderful, even if we still need a little speech as auxiliary.
The Brain
Alexander Blade

British Dictionary definitions for brainwave

brainwave

noun

informal a sudden inspiration or ideaAlso called: brainstorm

brain wave

noun

any of the fluctuations of electrical potential in the brain as represented on an electroencephalogram. They vary in frequency from 1 to 30 hertzSee also alpha rhythm, beta rhythm, delta rhythm

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

brainwave in Medicine

brain wave

n.

A rhythmic fluctuation of electric potential between parts of the brain, as seen on an electroencephalogram.