welle

Welle is a German noun meaning wave. In everyday language, it describes a moving disturbance that transfers energy, such as a ripple on water or a gust of sound, and it serves as the base for many compound terms in science and technology.

In physics, a wave is a propagating oscillation. Waves can be mechanical, needing a medium (water waves, sound waves), or electromagnetic, able to travel through a vacuum (light, radio waves). Common properties include wavelength, frequency, amplitude, and speed. German technical terms build from Welle, for example Wellenlänge (wavelength) and Wellenfront (wavefront).

In culture, the word appears in titles and expressions. Die Welle is a 2008 German film about a classroom experiment that explores social dynamics and autocracy. The expression eine Welle der Begeisterung describes a sudden surge of enthusiasm.

Geography and onomastics: Welle is also the name of several places in German-speaking regions and can be found as a surname. In these uses, the meaning is not related to the physical concept of a wave, but reflects historical naming traditions.

Overall, Welle functions as a versatile term in German, bridging science, culture, and geography while signaling motion, energy, or change across contexts.