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meander

 - 5 dictionary results

me⋅an⋅der

  [mee-an-der]
Use meander in a Sentence
–verb (used without object)
1. to proceed by or take a winding or indirect course: The stream meandered through the valley.
2. to wander aimlessly; ramble: The talk meandered on.
–verb (used with object)
3. Surveying. to define the margin of (a body of water) with a meander line.
–noun
4. Usually, meanders. turnings or windings; a winding path or course.
5. a circuitous movement or journey.
6. an intricate variety of fret or fretwork.
Origin:
1570–80; < L maeander < Gk maíandros a winding, special use of Maíandros, the Menderes River, noted for its winding course

Related forms:
me⋅an⋅der⋅er, noun
me⋅an⋅der⋅ing⋅ly, adverb

Synonyms:
1. wander, wind, twist, snake, coil.

Me⋅an⋅der

  [mee-an-der]
–noun
ancient name of the Menderes.

Men⋅de⋅res

  [men-de-res]
–noun
1. Ad⋅nan  [ahd-nahn] , 1899–1961, Turkish political leader: premier 1950–60.
2. Ancient, Maeander, Meander. a river in W Asia Minor, flowing into the Aegean near Samos. 240 mi. (385 km) long.
3. Ancient, Scamander. a river in NW Asia Minor, flowing across the Trojan plain into the Dardanelles. 60 mi. (97 km) long.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
Cite This Source Link To meander
me·an·der   (mē-ān'dər)   
intr.v.   me·an·dered, me·an·der·ing, me·an·ders

  1. To follow a winding and turning course: Streams tend to meander through level land.

  2. To move aimlessly and idly without fixed direction: vagabonds meandering through life. See Synonyms at wander.

n.  

  1. meanders Circuitous windings or sinuosities, as of a stream or path.

  2. A circuitous journey or excursion; ramble. Often used in the plural.

  3. An ornamental pattern of winding or intertwining lines, used in art and architecture.


[From Latin maeander, circuitous windings, from Greek maiandros, after Maiandros, the Maeander River in Phrygia, noted for its windings.]
me·an'der·er n., me·an'der·ing·ly adv., me·an'drous (-drəs) adj.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Word Origin & History

meander 
1576 (n.) "confusion, intricacies," from L. meander, from Gk. Maiandros, name of a river in Phrygia, noted for its winding course. The verb meaning "to flow in a winding course" (of rivers) is attested from c.1612. Of a person, "to wander aimlessly" (1831) it is perhaps confused with maunder (q.v.).
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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