P wave

[ pee-weyv ]

nounGeology.
  1. a longitudinal earthquake wave that travels through the interior of the earth and is usually the first conspicuous wave to be recorded by a seismograph.

Origin of P wave

1
First recorded in 1935–40
  • Also called pri·ma·ry wave [prahy-mer-ee weyv prahy-muh-ree], /ˈpraɪ mɛr i ˌweɪv ˈpraɪ mə ri/, .

Words Nearby P wave

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Scientific definitions for P wave

P wave

The American Heritage® Science Dictionary Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.