meander

Noun · Verb
US[mee-an-der]/miˈændɚ/3 syllables
Synonyms: rambleweavewindthreadwander

Open English WordNet

Verb (1)meandered, meandering

  1. to move or cause to move in a sinuous, spiral, or circular course“the river winds through the hills”“the path meanders through the vineyards”“sometimes, the gout wanders through the entire body”Synonyms: weavewindthreadwanderMore general travel, goMore specific snakeSimilar wander

Noun (2)

  1. a bend or curve, as in a stream or riverType of curve, curved shapeKinds oxbowPart of stream, watercourse
  2. an aimless amble on a winding courseSynonyms: rambleType of amble, promenade

Related words weave verb, swan verb

Word of the day · Nov 1About this word
benevolentadjective

What does it mean? Question 1 of today’s quiz

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Webster's Dictionary (1913)

Me·an′der noun

Origin: L. Maeander, orig., a river in Phrygia, proverbial for its many windings, Gr. …: cf. F. méandre.

1. A winding, crooked, or involved course; as, the meanders of the veins and arteries. Sir Matt. Hale

While lingering rivers in meanders glide.— Sir R. Blackmore.

2. A tortuous or intricate movement.

3. Architecture Fretwork. See Fret.

Me·an′der transitive verb

To wind, turn, or twist; to make flexuous. Dryton.

Me·an′der intransitive verb [past tense & past participle Meandered; present participle & verbal noun Meandering.]

To wind or turn in a course or passage; to be intricate.

Five miles meandering with a mazy motion Through wood and dale the sacred river ran.— Samuel T. Coleridge

Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913), from GCIDE 0.54

The Devil's Dictionary

MEANDER, n. To proceed sinuously and aimlessly. The word is the ancient name of a river about one hundred and fifty miles south of Troy, which turned and twisted in the effort to get out of hearing when the Greeks and Trojans boasted of their prowess.
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