wave front

noun

Physics.

1. a surface, real or imaginary, that is the locus of all adjacent points at which the phase of oscillation is the same.

wave front

1. The set of points in space reached by a wave or vibration at the same instant as the wave travels through a medium. Wave fronts generally form a continuous line or surface. The lines formed by crests of ripples on a pond, for example, correspond to curved wave fronts.

Word History and Origins

Origin of wave front¹

First recorded in 1865–70