zigzag

See also: Zigzag and zig-zag

English

Alternative forms

• zig-zag

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.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈzɪɡ.zæɡ/

• Audio (US):

  (file)

Noun

zigzag (plural zigzags)

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

Derived terms

• zigzag railway
• zigzag salamander

Translations

line or path

• Afrikaans: sigsag
• Armenian: զիգզագ (hy) (zigzag)
• Belarusian: зігза́г m (zihzáh)
• Catalan: ziga-zaga (ca) f, zig-zag (ca) m
• Cherokee: ᏗᏓᏅᏗᏍᏔᏅᏓ (didanvdistanvda)
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 之字形 (zh) (zhīzìxíng), Z字形

• Cornish: kammdro f, ygam-ogam m
• Esperanto: zigzago
• Estonian: siksakjoon
• Finnish: siksakki (fi)
• French: zigzag (fr) m
• Galician: zigzag m
• Georgian: ზიგზაგი (zigzagi), იკანკელი (iḳanḳeli), ტეხილი (ṭexili)
• German: Zickzack (de) m
• Hebrew: זיגזג
• Hungarian: cikcakk (hu)
• Irish: fiarlán m
• Italian: zigzag (it) m
• Japanese: ジグザグ (ja) (jiguzagu)
• Kazakh: бұралаң (būralañ)
• Korean: 갈지자 (galjija), 지그재그 (ko) (jigeujaegeu)
• Malay: jalur berliku
• Mari:

  Eastern Mari: зигзаг (zigzag)

• Norwegian: sikksakk m
• Persian: زیگزاگ (fa) (zigzâg)
• Polish: zygzak (pl) m
• Portuguese: ziguezague (pt) m
• Russian: зигза́г (ru) m (zigzág)
• Sotho: letswedintsweke
• Spanish: zigzag (es) m
• Swedish: sicksack (sv)
• Turkish: zikzak (tr)
• Ukrainian: зигза́г m (zyhzáh), зиґза́ґ m (zygzág)
• Welsh: igam-ogam (cy) m

turn

• Estonian: siksak (et)
• Finnish: siksakki (fi), terävä käännös

Adjective

zigzag (not comparable)

1. Moving in, or having a zigzag.
   • 1819 December 20 (indicated as 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^[2], 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.

2. (US military slang, World War I) Drunk.

Translations

moving in or having a zigzag

• Esperanto: zigzaga
• Estonian: siksakiline (et)
• Finnish: mutkitteleva (fi)
• Georgian: დაკლაკნილი (daḳlaḳnili), ზიგზაგისებრი (zigzagisebri), ზიგზაგური (zigzaguri), კლაკნილი (ḳlaḳnili), იკანკლური (iḳanḳluri)
• Maori: kōpekapeka
• Mari:

  Eastern Mari: кыри-гури (kyri-guri)

• Portuguese: ziguezagueante
• Scottish Gaelic: lùbach
• Spanish: en zigzag
• Welsh: igam-ogam (cy)
• Yoruba: kọ́lọkọ̀lọ

Verb

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

move in a zigzag manner

• Catalan: zigzaguejar (ca)
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 曲折前進 / 曲折前进 (qūzhé qiánjìn), 蜿蜒 (zh) (wānyán), 彎彎曲曲 / 弯弯曲曲 (zh) (wānwānqūqū)

• Cornish: kammdreylya
• Czech: kličkovat impf
• Esperanto: zigzagi
• Estonian: siksakitama (et)
• Finnish: pujotella (fi), säntäillä (fi), mutkitella (fi)
• French: zigzaguer (fr)
• Hungarian: cikázik (hu), cikcakkban halad
• Ido: zigzagar (io)
• Italian: zigzagare (it)
• Japanese: ジグザグに進む (jiguzagu ni susumu)
• Maori: whakatahataha
• Portuguese: ziguezaguear (pt)
• Russian: идти́ зигза́гом (idtí zigzágom), де́лать зигза́ги (délatʹ zigzági)
• Serbo-Croatian: ševuljica
• Spanish: zigzaguear (es)
• Welsh: igamogamu
• ǃXóõ: ǂūbe

See also

• zig when one should zag

Adverb

zigzag (comparative more zigzag, superlative most zigzag)

1. in a zigzag manner or pattern

Translations

in a zigzag manner or pattern

• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 之字形 (zh) (zhīzìxíng)

• Esperanto: zigzage
• Estonian: siksakiliselt
• Finnish: siksak
• Georgian: ზიგზაგურად (zigzagurad), დაკლაკნილად (daḳlaḳnilad), იკანკლურად (iḳanḳlurad), კლაკნილად (ḳlaḳnilad)
• German: zickzack
• Hungarian: cikcakkban, zegzugosan, zegzugos vonalban
• Japanese: ジグザグ (ja) (jiguzagu), 雁木 (ja) (がんぎ, gangi)
• Korean: 갈지자로 (galjijaro), 지그재그로 (jigeujaegeuro), 비틀배틀 (biteulbaeteul), 실룩샐룩 (silluksaelluk), 휙획 (hwikhoek)
• Portuguese: ziguezagueando, em ziguezague
• Russian: зигза́г (ru) m (zigzág)
• Spanish: en zigzag
• Ukrainian: зигза́гом (zyhzáhom), зиґза́ґом (zygzágom), зигза́гами (zyhzáhamy), зиґза́ґами (zygzágamy)
• Welsh: igam-ogam (cy), o un ochr i'r llall

Dutch

Etymology

Borrowed from French zigzag.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈzɪx.zɑx/

• Audio:

  (file)

• Hyphenation: zig‧zag

Noun

zigzag m (plural zigzags, diminutive zigzagje n)

1. zigzag (line in a sawtooth pattern)

Derived terms

• zigzaggen

French

Etymology

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

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ziɡ.zaɡ/

• Audio:

  (file)

Noun

zigzag m (plural zigzags)

1. zigzag

Further reading

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

Indonesian

Noun

zigzag (plural zigzag-zigzag)

1. zigzag

Alternative forms

• zigzag

Romanian

Etymology

Borrowed from French zigzag.

Noun

zigzag n (plural zigzaguri)

1. zigzag

Declension

Declension of zigzag

	singular			plural
	indefinite	definite		indefinite	definite
nominative-accusative	zigzag	zigzagul		zigzaguri	zigzagurile
genitive-dative	zigzag	zigzagului		zigzaguri	zigzagurilor
vocative	zigzagule			zigzagurilor

Spanish

Etymology

Borrowed from French zigzag.

Pronunciation

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

Noun

zigzag m (plural zigzags or zigzagues)

1. zigzag

Derived terms

• zigzagueante
• zigzaguear
• zigzagueo m

References

• “zigzag”, in Diccionario de la lengua española [Dictionary of the Spanish Language] (in Spanish), online version 23.8, Royal Spanish Academy [Spanish: Real Academia Española], 2024 December 10

Further reading

• “zigzag”, in Diccionario de la lengua española [Dictionary of the Spanish Language] (in Spanish), online version 23.8, Royal Spanish Academy [Spanish: Real Academia Española], 2024 December 10