zigzag
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English
[edit]Alternative forms
[edit]Etymology
[edit]Attested from 1712. Borrowed from French zigzag (attested from 1662),[1] possibly from a Germanic source via Walloon ziczac (although German Zickzack is attested only from 1703). Also, possibly from the shape of the letter Z, which appears twice in the word.
Pronunciation
[edit]Noun
[edit]zigzag (plural zigzags)
- A line or path that proceeds by sharp turns in alternating directions.
- One of these sharp turns.
Derived terms
[edit]Translations
[edit]line or path
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Adjective
[edit]zigzag (not comparable)
- Moving in, or having a zigzag.
- 1819 December 20 (indicated as 1820), Walter Scott, chapter II, in Ivanhoe; a Romance. […], volume II, Edinburgh: […] Archibald Constable and Co.; London: Hurst, Robinson, and Co. […], →OCLC, page 20:
- The entrance to this ancient place of devotion was under a very low round arch, ornamented by several courses of that zig-zag moulding, resembling shark's teeth, which appears so often in the more ancient Saxon churches.
- 1855, Elizabeth Gaskell, chapter 6, in North and South[2], volume 2, London: Chapman & Hall, pages 78–79:
- His thoughts were fixed on one subject, and it was an effort to him to follow the zigzag remarks of his children—an effort which he did not make.
- 1866 December 10, Charles Dickens, “No. 1 Branch Line. The Signal-Man.”, in Charles Dickens, editor, Mugby Junction. The Extra Christmas Number of All the Year Round, volume XVI, London: Published at No. 26, Wellington Street; and by Messrs. Chapman and Hall, […], →OCLC, page 21, column 1:
- There, by dint of looking closely about me, I found a rough zig-zag descending path notched out: which I followed.
- 1912 January, Zane Grey, “Surprise Valley”, in Riders of the Purple Sage […], New York, N.Y., London: Harper & Brothers Publishers, →OCLC, page 102:
- Then he addressed a keen-sighted, remembering gaze to the rim-wall above. It was serrated, and between two spears of rock, directly in line with his position, showed a zigzag crack that at night would let through the gleam of sky.
- (US military slang, World War I) Drunk.[2]
Translations
[edit]moving in or having a zigzag
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Verb
[edit]zigzag (third-person singular simple present zigzags, present participle zigzagging, simple past and past participle zigzagged)
- To move or to twist in a zigzag manner.
- Synonym: zig and zag
- 1912 January, Zane Grey, “Surprise Valley”, in Riders of the Purple Sage […], New York, N.Y., London: Harper & Brothers Publishers, →OCLC, page 98:
- At the base this vent was dark, cool, and smelled of dry, musty dust. It zigzagged so that he could not see ahead more than a few yards at a time.
- 2002, Malcolm Yorke, Mervyn Peake: My Eyes Mint Gold: A Life, page 298:
- If the first two novels created a new genre — Peakean fantasy — then this third volume zigzags between several: the Bildungsroman, science fiction, social satire, morality tale and dystopian prophecy.
Translations
[edit]move in a zigzag manner
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See also
[edit]Adverb
[edit]zigzag (comparative more zigzag, superlative most zigzag)
Translations
[edit]in a zigzag manner or pattern
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References
[edit]- ^ “zigzag”, in Trésor de la langue française informatisé [Digitized Treasury of the French Language], 2012.
- ^ * Lighter, Jonathan (1972) “The Slang of the American Expeditionary Forces in Europe, 1917-1919: An Historical Glossary”, in American Speech[1], volume 47, number 1/2, page 119
Dutch
[edit]Etymology
[edit]Pronunciation
[edit]Noun
[edit]zigzag m (plural zigzags, diminutive zigzagje n)
- zigzag (line in a sawtooth pattern)
Derived terms
[edit]French
[edit]Etymology
[edit](This etymology is missing or incomplete. Please add to it, or discuss it at the Etymology scriptorium.)
Pronunciation
[edit]Noun
[edit]zigzag m (plural zigzags)
Further reading
[edit]- “zigzag”, in Trésor de la langue française informatisé [Digitized Treasury of the French Language], 2012.
Indonesian
[edit]Noun
[edit]zigzag (first-person possessive zigzagku, second-person possessive zigzagmu, third-person possessive zigzagnya)
Alternative forms
[edit]Romanian
[edit]Etymology
[edit]Noun
[edit]zigzag n (plural zigzaguri)
Declension
[edit]| singular | plural | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| indefinite | definite | indefinite | definite | ||
| nominative-accusative | zigzag | zigzagul | zigzaguri | zigzagurile | |
| genitive-dative | zigzag | zigzagului | zigzaguri | zigzagurilor | |
| vocative | zigzagule | zigzagurilor | |||
Spanish
[edit]Etymology
[edit]Pronunciation
[edit]- IPA(key): (Spain) /θiɡˈθaɡ/ [θiɣ̞ˈθaɣ̞]
- IPA(key): (Latin America, Philippines) /siɡˈsaɡ/ [siɣ̞ˈsaɣ̞]
- Rhymes: -aɡ
- Syllabification: zig‧zag
Noun
[edit]zigzag m (plural zigzags or zigzagues)
Derived terms
[edit]References
[edit]- “zigzag”, in Diccionario de la lengua española [Dictionary of the Spanish Language] (in Spanish), online version 23.7, Royal Spanish Academy [Spanish: Real Academia Española], 2023 November 28
Further reading
[edit]- “zigzag”, in Diccionario de la lengua española [Dictionary of the Spanish Language] (in Spanish), online version 23.7, Royal Spanish Academy [Spanish: Real Academia Española], 2023 November 28
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