seesaw

See also: see-saw

English

A seesaw.

Makeshift seesaws are used for acrobatics.

Alternative forms

• see-saw

Etymology

Probably a frequentative imitative of rhythmic back-and-forth, up-and-down or zigzagging motion, such as teeter-totter, zigzag, flip-flop, ping pong, etc., under the umbrella term of reduplication; also likely influenced by the verbs see and saw of either present or past tense.

Pronunciation

• (Received Pronunciation) enPR: sô, IPA^(key): /ˈsiː.sɔː/
  • Rhymes: -iːsɔ
• (US) enPR: sô, IPA^(key): /ˈsi.sɔ/
• (cot–caught merger) enPR: sä, IPA^(key): /ˈsiː.sɑː/

  • Audio (US)

    (file)

  • Rhymes: -iːsɑ

Noun

seesaw (plural seesaws)

1. A structure composed of a plank, balanced in the middle, used as a game in which one person goes up as the other goes down.

   Synonym: teeter-totter

2. A series of up-and-down movements.
3. A series of alternating movements or feelings.
   • 1859–1860, William Hamilton, edited by H[enry] L[ongueville] Mansel and John Veitch, Lectures on Metaphysics and Logic […], volumes (please specify |volume=I to IV), Edinburgh, London: William Blackwood and Sons, →OCLC:

     He has been arguing in a circle; there is thus a see-saw between the hypothesis and the fact.

   • 2011 November 5, Phil Dawkes, “QPR 2 - 3 Man City”, in BBC Sport‎^[1]:

     Manchester Citykept up their unbeaten start to the Premier League season with victory over QPR in an entertaining see-saw encounter at Loftus Road.

4. (medicine, attributively) An abnormal breathing pattern caused by airway obstruction, characterized by paradoxical chest and abdominal movement.

Translations

structure moving up and down, balanced in the middle

• Azerbaijani: yelləncək (az)
• Bulgarian: люлка (bg) f (ljulka)
• Catalan: palanca (ca) f
• Chinese:

  Cantonese: 搖搖板／摇摇板 (jiu⁴ jiu⁴ baan²)

  Mandarin: 蹺蹺板／跷跷板 (zh) (qiāoqiāobǎn)

• Czech: houpačka (cs) f
• Danish: vippe (da) c
• Dutch: wipwap (nl), wip (nl)
• Esperanto: baskulo
• Estonian: kiik
• Finnish: keinulauta (fi)
• French: balançoire (fr) f, tapecul (fr) m
• Galician: bambán m
• Gallo: brancidjeule f
• Georgian: აიწონა-დაიწონა (aic̣ona-daic̣ona)
• German: Wippe (de) f; (Switzerland, Allgäu) Gigampfi f
• Greek: τραμπάλα (el) f (trampála)
• Hebrew: נַדְנֵדָה (he) f (nadnedá)
• Hungarian: libikóka (hu), mérleghinta (hu)
• Icelandic: vegasalt n
• Irish: cranndaí bogadaí m, maide corrach m
• Italian: altalena (it) f
• Japanese: シーソー (shīsō)
• Korean: 널 (ko) (neol), 시소 (ko) (siso)
• Latin: oscillum
• Macedonian: клацкалка f (klackalka)
• Malay: jongkang-jongket
• Maltese: ċaqlembuta f
• Maori: tiemi
• Norwegian: dumphuske m
• Polish: huśtawka (pl) f (also used for a swing), huśtawka wagowa f (rare)
• Portuguese: gangorra (pt) f (Brazil, Portugal: Madeira), balancé (pt) m (Portugal), sobe-e-desce (Portugal)
• Russian: каче́ли (ru) f pl (kačéli)
• Serbo-Croatian: klackalica (sh) f
• Spanish: balancín (es) m, subibaja m
• Swedish: gungbräda c
• Tagalog: tiwasan
• Tajik: арғунчак (tg) (arġunčak)
• Thai: กระดานหก (th) (grà-daan-hòk)
• Turkish: tahterevalli (tr)
• Vietnamese: bập bênh
• Welsh: si-so m, sigldyhoedan f

movement

• Czech: houpání n
• Finnish: keinuminen
• Korean: 널뛰기 (ko) (neolttwigi)
• Macedonian: клацкање n (klackanje)
• Spanish: balanceo (es) m

Verb

seesaw (third-person singular simple present seesaws, present participle seesawing, simple past and past participle seesawed)

1. (intransitive) To use a seesaw.
2. (intransitive, by extension) To fluctuate.
   • 1971, “All I Want”, in Blue, performed by Joni Mitchell:

     When I think of your kisses / My mind see-saws

3. (transitive) To cause to move backward and forward in seesaw fashion.
   • 1832, Edward Bulwer-Lytton, Eugene Aram:

     He see-saws himself to and fro.

Translations

to use a seesaw

• Bulgarian: люлея се (ljuleja se)
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 玩蹺蹺板／玩跷跷板 (wán qiāoqiāobǎn)

• Dutch: wipwappen (nl), wippen (nl)
• Esperanto: baskulumi
• Estonian: kiikuma
• Finnish: keinua (fi)
• Georgian: აიწონა-დაიწონას თამაში (aic̣ona-daic̣onas tamaši)
• German: wippen (de)
• Hungarian: libikókázik, mérleghintázik
• Icelandic: vega salt
• Korean: 널뛰다 (neolttwida)
• Macedonian: се клацка (se klacka)
• Maori: tiemi
• Norwegian: dumpe
• Russian: кача́ться на доске́ (kačátʹsja na doské)

to fluctuate

• Azerbaijani: tərəddüd etmək
• Bulgarian: колебая се (kolebaja se), флуктуирам (fluktuiram)
• Finnish: keinua (fi)
• Korean: 널뛰다 (neolttwida)
• Maori: pīonioni
• Norwegian: svinge (no)
• Russian: колебаться (ru) (kolebatʹsja)

The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables. See instructions at Wiktionary:Entry layout § Translations.

Translations to be checked

• German: ^{(please verify)} schaukeln (de)

Adjective

seesaw (comparative more seesaw, superlative most seesaw)

1. fluctuating.

Anagrams

• Weases