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zigzag

Flag: gbEnglishOxford Dictionary of English
zigzag /ˈzɪɡzaɡ /
▸ noun a line or course having abrupt alternate right and left turns:
she traced a zigzag on the metal with her finger.
▪ a turn on a zigzag course:
the road descends in a series of sharp zigzags.
▸ adjective having the form of a zigzag; veering alternately to right and left:
when chased by a predator, some animals take a zigzag course.
▸ adverb so as to move right and left alternately:
she drives zigzag across the city.
▸ verb
( zigzags, zigzagging, zigzagged)
[no object] have or move along in a zigzag course:
the path zigzagged between dry rises in the land.
– ORIGIN early 18th century: from French, from German Zickzack, symbolic of alternation of direction, first applied to fortifications.