microwaven.adj.
/ˈmʌɪkrə(ʊ)weɪv/, U.S. /ˈmaɪkroʊˌweɪv/, /ˈmaɪkrəˌweɪv/ A. n.
1.
a. An electromagnetic wave with a wavelength between about one millimetre and 30 centimetres (corresponding to a frequency between 300 gigahertz and one gigahertz).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.
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the world > matter > physics > electromagnetic radiation > radio wave > microwave > [noun]
microray1931
microwave1931
1931 Telegr. & Telephone Jrnl. 17 179/1 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.
1935 Proc. IRE 23 1503 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.
1942 J. 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.
1955 IRE Convention Rec. ix. 3/1 There has been developed a unique method of food preparation making use of the heat generated inside food by the absorption of microwaves.
1965 New 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.
1973 Sci. 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.
1989 D. Pearson Natural House Bk. iii. vii. 220 Microwaves interfere with the formation of living cells.
1999 Independent i. 9/7 Research soon to be published..would show that mobile phone guards, intended to protect mobile phone users from the microwaves, were ineffective.
b. Telecommunications. Microwave radiation as a medium for communication or broadcasting; the transmission and reception of microwaves for this purpose.
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1936 Science 19 June 600/1 Microwave radio circuit of the Radio Corporation of America.]
1968 Maclean's Dec. 19/1 Signals from the satellite will be received by ground stations and relayed by microwave or cable to home receivers.
1977 Royal Air Force News 22 June 9 (advt.) VHF/UHF communications systems experience is essential, preferably including multiplex and microwave.
1986 G. Benford & D. Brin Heart of Comet (1987) v. 369 Call Earth on the microwave and you'll lose us our only advantage.
1990 H. Whittemore CNN v. 247 SNC was receiving its ABC News video (and Metromedia's WNEW-TV news feeds) from New York via terrestrial microwave.
2.
a. Originally U.S. An oven in which food is cooked by passing microwaves through it, the resulting generation of heat inside the food facilitating rapid cooking.
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the world > food and drink > food > food manufacture and preparation > equipment for food preparation > stove or cooker > [noun] > oven > microwave oven
microwave oven1955
micro-oven1962
microwave1972
micro1973
1972 Sat. Rev. (N.Y.) 1 Jan. 59/2 Although microwave ovens take 50 percent more power than conventional ovens, the microwaves are nevertheless the cheaper servants.
1974 New Yorker 12 Aug. 73/2 (advt.) New, quick-cooking portable microwave.
1984 Freetime (Boots) Autumn 8/1 With a microwave, the food can be defrosted, cooked and ready to serve in a matter of minutes.
1993 Equinox (Ont.) June 33/3 Most of us have heard the tale about the doting matron who tries to dry her damp dog in the microwave.
b. Cooking with a microwave oven; microwave cookery.
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the world > food and drink > food > food manufacture and preparation > cooking > [noun] > microwaving
microwave1977
microwaving1980
1977 J. M. Webb (title) Microwave: the cooking revolution.
1984 Sears, Roebuck Catal. Spring–Summer 10 Choose from microwave for fast action; convection to surround and brown rolls and cakes; or micro/convection.
B. adj. (attributive).
1. Of or relating to microwaves; employing microwaves.
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the world > matter > physics > electromagnetic radiation > radio wave > microwave > [adjective]
microwave1933
1933 Electrician 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.
1946 Jrnl. Royal Aeronaut. Soc. 50 956/1 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.
1947 Electronic Engin. 19 17 Ultra-short and microwave radio links.
1957 B.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.
1959 Daily 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.
1964 Ann. Reg. 1963 163 The microwave telecommunications network linking Ankara, Karachi and Teheran.
1971 Brit. Printer Jan. 67/2 Microwave dryers are currently at an advanced stage of development.
1982 Giant Bk. Electronics Projects vii. 357 Ask most amateurs why they do not try the microwave bands, and you will receive four standard answers.
1996 M. D. Russell Sparrow xviii. 182 Without an ionosphere to contain radio waves, you could only use line-of-sight signals, like microwave towers at home.
2.
a. spec. Designating devices or processes employing microwaves to cook or heat food.
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the world > food and drink > food > food manufacture and preparation > cooking > [adjective] > microwaved
microwave1957
microwaved1971
1957 Good Housek. (U.S.) May 263/2 (heading) Microwave cooking. A new era in cooking.
1966 Food Technol. 20 915/2 Microwave-puffing of foods.
1978 S. Brill Teamsters v. 175 A microwave reheater..prepared various cans and plastic packages of pre-cooked food.
1978 Morecambe Guardian 14 Mar. 26/9 (advt.) Microwave cooker, browning dishes, now available.
1984 Which? Dec. 542/1 Food doesn't brown well—one of the main drawbacks of microwave cookery.
1991 House Beautiful Kitchens/Baths Winter 18/1 Other models may provide the option of convection or microwave cooking in the oven.
b. Designating food heated or cooked in a microwave oven, or food, food containers, etc., suitable for microwave cooking or heating.
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the world > food and drink > food > food manufacture and preparation > equipment for food preparation > stove or cooker > [adjective] > relating to microwave oven
microwave1977
1977 Amer. Home Nov. 61/2 Place ribs on microwave rack in shallow glass or other microwave-proof baking dish.
1984 S. Townsend Growing Pains Adrian Mole 59 My father..went to the pub and had a microwave mince and onion pie.
1991 Daily Tel. 16 Aug. 7/2 The inn [was]..taken over by what locals considered to be inferior managers, who served microwave fare and a poor pint.
Compounds
microwave background n. Astronomy weak microwave radiation detectable at an almost constant intensity throughout the universe and believed to be the redshifted remnant of an early high-temperature stage of its formation.
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1966 Physical Rev. Lett. 16 405/1 The measurement of the spectrum of this new microwave background provides a severe test of the cosmic black-body-radiation hypothesis.
1992 Economist 29 Feb. 105/2 The cosmic microwave background is a relic of the big bang, a glow of millimetre-wavelength radiation spread all over the sky.
microwave background radiation n. Astronomy = microwave background n.
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1981 P. Davies Edge of Infinity (1983) viii. 157 Most astronomers now believe that the microwave background radiation from space is none other than the primeval heat radiation itself, cooled now to the very depths, but still bathing the entire universe in its dwindling glow.
1998 Mod. Astronomer Mar. 13/1 In the short-term, covering the years 2000–2004, goals that are being strived for include: a deeper knowledge of the microwave background radiation, [etc.].
microwave oven n. = sense A. 2a.
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the world > food and drink > food > food manufacture and preparation > equipment for food preparation > stove or cooker > [noun] > oven > microwave oven
microwave oven1955
micro-oven1962
microwave1972
micro1973
1955 J. Blass & L. H. Schall U.S. Patent 2,704,802 1 This invention relates to a microwave oven.
1963 Time 25 Oct. 95/2 Ten years ago microwave ovens seemed just the thing for everyone's dream kitchen.
1973 Daily 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.
1998 B. Elton Blast from Past (1999) xi. 65 This was the time when microwave ovens were still a relatively recent invention.
microwave-safe adj. designating containers, utensils, etc., made of materials suitable for use in a microwave oven.
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1978 Good Housek. (U.S.) Dec. 286/1 Other often-used utensils were microwave-safe dinnerware, glass measuring cups, glass and plastic mixing bowls and paper products.
1993 Hockey News (Toronto) 5 Feb. 19 (advt.) 11oz. stoneware premium mugs..dishwasher and microwave safe.
1997 Indianapolis Star 5 June f6/2 Unwrap the spinach and place it into a 2-quart or larger microwave-safe bowl.
This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, December 2001; most recently modified version published online June 2022).
microwavev.
/ˈmʌɪkrə(ʊ)weɪv/, U.S. /ˈmaɪkroʊˌweɪv/, /ˈmaɪkrəˌweɪv/ Originally U.S.
1. transitive. Telecommunications. To transmit (signals, information, etc.) using microwave radiation as a medium. See microwave n. 1b.
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1961 Webster's 3rd New Internat. Dict. Eng. Lang. Microwave, to transmit by means of microwaves.
1979 Washington Post (Nexis) 5 Dec. a3 If you listen closely, you can hear all that being microwaved off the roof of the Bolshevik embassy on 16th Street—and besides, it appears there's a Soviet space spectacular in the works.
1991 Daily Tel. 18 Jan. 17/5 A portable, independently-powered, four-line telephone system which microwaved a feed from the Baghdad hotel roof to a satellite truck over the border in Amman.
2.
a. transitive. To cook or heat in a microwave.
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the world > food and drink > food > food manufacture and preparation > cooking > cook [verb (transitive)] > microwave
microcook1976
microwave1976
nuke1984
1976 National Observer (U.S.) 3 Apr. 9/4 I..microwaved them two at a time for one minute.
1992 TV Quick 19 Dec. (Central Region ed.) 26/4 Mulled wine doesn't need to be left on the heat, as microwaving small amounts works well.
b. intransitive. Of food: to undergo microwave cooking.
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the world > food and drink > food > qualities of food > [verb (intransitive)] > be cookable by microwave
microwave1984
1984 Tampa (Florida) Tribune 5 Apr. 8 e/1 Standing time is important after a meatloaf has finished microwaving.
c. intransitive. To cook or heat food in a microwave. Cf. microcook v.
ΚΠ
1984 Listener 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.
1990 Which? Apr. 205/3 Food should be very hot throughout—when you take it out of a conventional oven, or after standing times when microwaving, it should be too hot to eat immediately.
This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, December 2001; most recently modified version published online March 2022).
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n.adj.1931
v.1961