| 释义 |
▪ I. microwave, n.|ˈmaɪkrəʊweɪv|
[f. micro- 1 + wave n.]
1. An electromagnetic wave with a wavelength between about one millimetre and 30 centimetres (corresponding to a frequency between 300 gigahertz and one gigahertz); one whose wavelength is such that it is convenient to use hollow waveguides for its transmission.
The precise figures taken as extremes of wavelength or frequency are arbitrary and vary somewhat with different writers; formerly waves much longer than the present-day maximum were described as microwaves.
1931Telegraph & Telephone Jrnl. XVII. 179/1 When..trials..with wavelengths as low as 18 cm. were made known, there was undisguised surprise..that the problem of the micro-wave had been solved so soon. 1935Proc. IRE XXIII. 1503 (heading) Diffraction of microwaves over the curve of the Earth. Ibid., Radio waves below ten meters in length, at the present time termed ‘microwaves’, may be received at moderate distances over the horizon from the transmitter. 1940Amat. Radio Handbk. (ed. 2) xvi. 232/1 Wavelengths below 1 metre are referred to as ‘micro-waves’ or ‘centimetre waves’, and demand special treatment. 1942J. C. Slater Microwave Transmission 1 The range of waves called microwaves: wave lengths perhaps in the range from a half meter to a few centimeters. 1965New Scientist 10 June 724/3 Microwaves, or waves of even shorter wavelength, must be used because it is only when such short wavelengths are employed that a highly directional beam can be produced. 1968Maclean's Mag. Dec. 19/1 Signals from the satellite will be received by ground stations and relayed by microwave or cable to home receivers. 1973Sci. Amer. Sept. 74/2 Electromagnetic radiation at microwave frequencies is now widely used for cooking purposes. It may also be practical to use microwaves to ‘cook’ agricultural pests in the soil: insects, weeds, fungi and so on.
2. a. Short for microwave oven below; a microwave cooker. orig. U.S.
1974New Yorker 12 Aug. 73/2 (Advt.), New, quick-cooking portable microwave. 1976Bon Appétit Apr. 29/2 If you have a family that eats in relays, you'll find the microwave ideal. 1984Freetime (Boots) Autumn 8/1 With a microwave, the food can be defrosted, cooked and ready to serve in a matter of minutes. 1985Financial Times 19 Oct. (Suppl.) p. xiii/2 She cooked an entire dinner party menu in a microwave.
b. Cooking with a microwave oven; microwave cookery.
1977J. M. Webb (title) Microwave: the cooking revolution. 1984Sears Catal. 1985 Spring/Summer 10 Choose from microwave for fast action; convection to surround and brown rolls and cakes; or micro/convection.
3. a. attrib.
1933Electrician 6 Jan. 3/1 We decided..to concentrate our efforts on the generation and efficient radiation of what may be termed a medium wavelength on the microwave scale—that is, a wavelength of the order of half-a-metre, i.e., 600 000 k.c. 1946Proc. IRE XXXIV. 775/1 The extent of the microwave spectrum has been variously defined. This paper will concern itself with the range of frequencies between approximately 2000 and 30,000 megacycles per second. 1946Jrnl. R. Aeronaut. Soc. L. 956/1 During the war airborne microwave radar was used to provide in the aircraft a map or picture showing the main features, e.g., towns and rivers, of the country below. 1947Electronic Engin. XIX. 17 Ultra-short and microwave radio links. 1952Sci. News XXV. 30 From a study of such rotational spectra of asymmetric molecules in the microwave region the distance between the atoms can be found very accurately. 1957B.B.C. Handbk. 59 The vision signals from remote outside broadcast points are carried back to the main television network by BBC microwave or VHF radio links. 1959Daily Tel. 18 May 12/6 The sky platform would hover in a fixed position. Helicopter type rotary wings would be turned by microwave energy beamed from stations on earth. 1964Ann. Reg. 1963 163 The microwave telecommunications network linking Ankara, Karachi and Teheran. 1967D. Wilson in Wills & Yearsley Handbk. Managem. Technol. iii. 44 Data transmission is concerned with the transmission of data over private or G.P.O. lines or by using microwave techniques. 1971Brit. Printer Jan. 67/2 Microwave dryers are currently at an advanced stage of development. 1972Sci. Amer. Feb. 13/1 Although the microwave region of the electromagnetic spectrum is not precisely defined, we use the term to describe radiation of wavelengths ranging from 30 centimeters to three millimeters.
b. attrib. and Comb. with reference to cooking in a microwave oven, esp. as microwave cooker, microwave cooking.
1962in Food Technol. (1969) XXIII. 1579/1 (heading) General Electric microwave cooking center..heats all types of food in seconds. 1966Food Technol. XX. 915/2 Microwave-puffing of foods. 1977Amer. Home Nov. 61/2 Place ribs on microwave rack in shallow glass or other microwave-proof baking dish. 1978S. Brill Teamsters v. 175 A microwave reheater..prepared various cans and plastic packages of pre-cooked food. 1978Morecambe Guardian 14 Mar. 26/9 (Advt.), Microwave cooker, browning dishes, now available. 1984S. Townsend Growing Pains A. Mole 59 My father..went to the pub and had a microwave mince and onion pie. 1984Which? Dec. 542/1 Food doesn't brown well—one of the main drawbacks of microwave cookery.
c. Special Comb.: microwave oven, an oven in which food is cooked by passing microwaves through it, the resulting generation of heat inside the food making rapid and uniform cooking possible.
1965Economist 22 May 941/2 (heading) Microwave ovens. A meal a minute. 1968New Scientist 24 Oct. 175/1 The microwave oven..is now coming into quite wide use in homes in the United States. 1973Daily Tel. 26 Apr. 11/8 Microwave ovens which are still in the experimental stage, would take eight minutes to produce a standard loaf, instead of 30.
▪ II. microwave, v. orig. U.S.
[f. the n.]
a. trans. To cook or heat (food) in a microwave oven.
b. intr. To be suitable for or undergo microwave cooking. Cf. microcook v.
1976National Observer (U.S.) 3 Apr. 9/4, I..microwaved them two at a time for one minute. 1979[see micro n. 4]. 1984Listener 20 Sept. 16/2 Alveston Kitchens, producer of those boil-in-the-bag and microwave-'n-serve gourmet dishes for the catering trade, have the latest technology. 1984Tampa (Florida) Tribune 5 Apr. 8e/1 Standing time is important after a meatloaf has finished microwaving. 1986Family Circle May 83/4 Microwaved veg for 4 min on High.
Add: Hence ˈmicrowaved ppl. a., cooked or heated in a microwave oven.
1982A. Maupin Further Tales of City 13 Denny..was eating a microwaved patty melt. 1988Daily Tel. 30 Mar. 21/4 Teachers find that growing numbers of their pupils never sit down to a meal with the rest of the family, but munch microwaved ‘telly’ snacks instead. 1993Options Aug. 93/1 Leave microwaved food for the recommended standing time and check that food is piping hot throughout before serving. |