What is "transverse wave"

n. (context physics English) Any wave in which the direction of disturbance is perpendicular to the direction of travel

A transverse wave is a moving wave that consists of oscillations occurring perpendicular (or right angled) to the direction of energy transfer. If a transverse wave is moving in the positive x-direction, its oscillations are in up and down directions that lie in the y–z plane. Light is an example of a transverse wave. With regard to transverse waves in matter, the displacement of the medium is perpendicular to the direction of propagation of the wave. A ripple in a pond and a wave on a string are easily visualized as transverse waves.