wave theory: Meaning and Definition of

wave' the"ory

Pronunciation: [key]
  1. Also calledthe theory that light is transmitted as a wave, similar to oscillations in magnetic and electric fields. Cf.
  2. a theory that accounts for shared features among languages or dialects by identifying these features as innovations that spread from their points of origin to the speech of contiguous areas. Cf.
Random House Unabridged Dictionary, Copyright © 1997, by Random House, Inc., on Infoplease.