Wiktionary

zigzag

See also: Zigzag and zig-zag

English

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Alternative forms

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Etymology

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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

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  • IPA(key): /ˈzɪɡ.zæɡ/
  • Audio (US):(file)

Noun

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zigzag (plural zigzags)

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

Derived terms

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Translations

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Adjective

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zigzag (not comparable)

  1. Moving in, or having a zigzag.
  2. (US military slang, World War I) Drunk.[2]

Translations

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Verb

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zigzag (third-person singular simple present zigzags, present participle zigzagging, simple past and past participle zigzagged)

  1. 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

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See also

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Adverb

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zigzag (comparative more zigzag, superlative most zigzag)

  1. in a zigzag manner or pattern

Translations

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References

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  1. ^ “zigzag”, in Trésor de la langue française informatisé [Digitized Treasury of the French Language], 2012.
  2. ^ * 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

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Etymology

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Borrowed from French zigzag.

Pronunciation

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  • IPA(key): /ˈzɪx.zɑx/
  • Audio:(file)
  • Hyphenation: zig‧zag

Noun

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zigzag m (plural zigzags, diminutive zigzagje n)

  1. zigzag (line in a sawtooth pattern)

Derived terms

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French

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Etymology

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(This etymology is missing or incomplete. Please add to it, or discuss it at the Etymology scriptorium.)

Pronunciation

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Noun

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zigzag m (plural zigzags)

  1. zigzag

Further reading

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Indonesian

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Noun

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zigzag (first-person possessive zigzagku, second-person possessive zigzagmu, third-person possessive zigzagnya)

  1. zigzag

Alternative forms

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Romanian

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Etymology

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Borrowed from French zigzag.

Noun

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zigzag n (plural zigzaguri)

  1. zigzag

Declension

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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

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Etymology

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Borrowed from French zigzag.

Pronunciation

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  • IPA(key): (Spain) /θiɡˈθaɡ/ [θiɣ̞ˈθaɣ̞]
  • IPA(key): (Latin America, Philippines) /siɡˈsaɡ/ [siɣ̞ˈsaɣ̞]
  • Rhymes: -aɡ
  • Syllabification: zig‧zag

Noun

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zigzag m (plural zigzags or zigzagues)

  1. zigzag

Derived terms

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References

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Further reading

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