zigzag
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English[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.
Translations[edit]
line or path
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Adjective[edit]
zigzag (not comparable)
- Moving in, or having a zigzag.
- 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[1], 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.
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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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.
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]
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]
Declension of zigzag
| singular | plural | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| indefinite articulation | definite articulation | indefinite articulation | definite articulation | |
| nominative/accusative | (un) zigzag | zigzagul | (niște) zigzaguri | zigzagurile |
| genitive/dative | (unui) zigzag | zigzagului | (unor) zigzaguri | zigzagurilor |
| vocative | zigzagule | zigzagurilor | ||
Spanish[edit]
Etymology[edit]
Pronunciation[edit]
- IPA(key): (Spain) /θiɡˈθaɡ/ [θiɣ̞ˈθaɣ̞]
- IPA(key): (Latin America) /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, Vigésima tercera edición, Real Academia Española, 2014
Further reading[edit]
- “zigzag”, in Diccionario de la lengua española, Vigésima tercera edición, Real Academia Española, 2014
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- Rhymes:Spanish/aɡ
- Rhymes:Spanish/aɡ/2 syllables
- Spanish lemmas
- Spanish nouns
- Spanish countable nouns
- Spanish masculine nouns