extraordinary wave

American  

noun

Radio.

1. (of the two waves into which a radio wave is divided in the ionosphere under the influence of the earth's magnetic field) the wave with characteristics different from those that the undivided wave would have exhibited in the absence of the magnetic field.

---

Etymology

Origin of extraordinary wave

First recorded in 1880–85

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

extraordinary wave

It was a dramatic echo of the extraordinary wave of protests, which swept some streets and squares of Tehran, and towns and cities across this country last month.

From BBC ● Feb. 11, 2026

Canada has struggled to fight back against the extraordinary wave of fires, which have overwhelmed local resources and forced thousands of people to evacuate.

From New York Times ● Jun. 14, 2023

“It’s an extraordinary wave of organizing,” Broder said, noting that employers in the private sector have worked to quash those efforts.

From Washington Post ● Nov. 23, 2022

AP: We’re seeing an extraordinary wave of people leaving Ukraine, and like the Irish migration of the 19th century, it’s a wave of women and children.

From Seattle Times ● Mar. 16, 2022

An extraordinary wave of emotion swept over the South, carrying everybody with it.

From The Guns of Bull Run A Story of the Civil War's Eve by Altsheler, Joseph A. (Joseph Alexander)