zigzag

Meaning

Noun

1. A line or path that proceeds by sharp turns in alternating directions.
2. One of these sharp turns.

Adj

1. (not-comparable) Moving in, or having a zigzag.
2. (US, World-War-I, not-comparable, slang) Drunk.

Verb

To move or to twist in a zigzag manner.

Adv

in a zigzag manner or pattern

Synonyms

winding

meandering

crooked

meander

sinuous

tortuous

snake

🐍

crank

zag

zig

zig-zag

angular

oblique

irregular

jagged

curving

serpentine

crisscross

saw-toothed

seesaw

serpentines

serrate

serrated

serration

sheer

slalom

stagger

swerve

thread

🧵

twisting

wag

wind

wound

wriggle

zigzagging

stepped pier

toothing gear

hooked stick

bend many times

turn and twist

meanderingly

swayingly

tortuous highway

broken-field

dancette

zigzag pattern

saw-shaped

anywhere

at random

bend

Translations

zigzag

zigzag

Zickzack

zigzaguer

en zigzag

zigzag

en zigzag

ziguezague

zaagvormig

zigzaguear

ziguezaguear

ziga-zaga

zigzag

zikzak

Pronounced as (IPA)

/ˈzɪɡ.zæɡ/

Etymology

Cognate with German: Zickzack

In summary

Attested from 1712. Borrowed from French zigzag (attested from 1662), 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. Sense “drunk” from the zigzag movements of a drunk person.