verb (used with object) 1. to draw or haul toward oneself or itself, in a particular direction, or into a particular position: to pull a sled up a hill. 2. to draw or tug at with force. 3. to rend or tear: to pull a cloth to pieces.
The Love and Rayleigh waves (collectively known as surface waves) are the slowest moving but most damaging of the seismic waves.
Surface waves, in this mechanical sense, are commonly known as either Love waves (L waves) or Rayleigh waves. A seismic wave is a wave that travels through the Earth, often as the result of an earthquake or explosion.