zigzag
/ˈzɪɡ.zæɡ/
Word Rarity
Rare
Frequency: Zipf frequency 2.82 in modern English
26
Scrabble Score
6
Letters
2
Syllables
4
Unique Chars
Meaning
noun
A line or path that proceeds by sharp turns in alternating directions.
name
A small town in Oregon.
Example Sentences
- "She had just succeeded in curving it down into a graceful zigzag, and was going to dive in among the leaves, which she found to be nothing but the tops of the trees under which she had been wandering, when a sharp hiss made her draw back in a hurry: […]."
- "And still, high in front, arose the precipitous barrier of the mountain, greened over where it seemed that scarce a harebell could find root, barred with the zigzags of a human road where it seemed that not a goat could scramble."
- "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."
- "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."
- "There, by dint of looking closely about me, I found a rough zig-zag descending path notched out: which I followed."
- "Right and left ranked the toothed and zigzag line of storm-torn heights, forming the series which culminated in the one beneath their feet."
Etymology
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.
Origin
- Source language: French
Word Breakdown
- Root: zigzag
Usage
Inflected Forms
zigzags (plural)
zig-zag (alternative)
zigzags (present, singular)
zigzagging (participle, present)
zigzagged (participle, past)
zigzagged (past)
more zigzag (comparative)
most zigzag (superlative)