Source : Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913)

Wavelet \Wave"let\, n.
   A little wave; a ripple.

Source : WordNet®

wavelet
     n : a small wave on the surface of a liquid [syn: {ripple}, {rippling},
          {riffle}]

Source : Free On-Line Dictionary of Computing

wavelet
     
         A waveform that is bounded in both {frequency}
        and duration.  Wavelet tranforms provide an alternative to
        more traditional {Fourier transforms} used for analysing
        waveforms, e.g. sound.
     
        The {Fourier transform} converts a signal into a continuous
        series of {sine waves}, each of which is of constant frequency
        and {amplitude} and of infinite duration.  In contrast, most
        real-world signals (such as music or images) have a finite
        duration and abrupt changes in frequency.
     
        Wavelet transforms convert a signal into a series of wavelets.
        In theory, signals processed by the wavelet transform can be
        stored more efficiently than ones processed by Fourier
        transform.  Wavelets can also be constructed with rough edges,
        to better approximate real-world signals.
     
        For example, the United States Federal Bureau of Investigation
        found that Fourier transforms proved inefficient for
        approximating the whorls of fingerprints but a wavelet
        transform resulted in crisper reconstructed images.
     
        {SBG Austria (http://www.mat.sbg.ac.at/~uhl/wav.html)}.
     
        ["Ten Lectures on Wavelets", Ingrid Daubechies].
     
        (1994-11-09)