A rolled chord, arppeggiato, or arpeggiated

Arpeggio

An arpeggio is a musical technique where notes in a chord are played or sung in sequence, one after the other, rather than ringing out simultaneously...

 chord, is a sequence of notes played almost at the same time like strumming a chord

Chord (music)

A chord in music is any harmonic set of two–three or more notes that is heard as if sounding simultaneously. These need not actually be played together: arpeggios and broken chords may for many practical and theoretical purposes be understood as chords...

on a guitar. They are mostly seen on piano, producing a harp-like effect. When a chord is too large for a pianists hand, the chord is expected to be rolled. An arpeggiated chord can be quite difficult to execute especially if spanning more than two octaves. Rolled chords are seen quite frequently in 20th century classical music. Arpeggiated chords can be rolled downward as well, notated by an arrow at the bottom of the wavy line. This however is comparatively rare.

As a generalization, the "rolled chord" symbol indicates a rapid succession of the tones. The rapidity would vary according to the tempo and the desired effect.

A rolled chord "unveils" the notes of the chord rather than stating them all at once, creating expectations or questions in the listener. The expectations can then be satisfied, or broken (surprised.)

A rolled chord can also increase the number of notes per second in faster passages, creating a heightened sense of virtuosity or musical complexity.

Using a rolled chord notation is much simpler and more quickly readable than writing out the rhythms as in the inset example on the bottom right of the page.