meandern.

Brit.

/mɪˈandə/, U.S.

/miˈændər/

Forms: 1500s meandor, 1500s– maeander, 1500s– meander, 1700s–1800s meandre.

Origin: A borrowing from Latin. Etymon: Latin maeander.

Etymology: < classical Latin maeander (ancient Greek μαίανδρος), transferred use of the name of the river Maeander or Maeandros (now Menderes) in Caria (now western Turkey), noted for its winding course. Compare Middle French, French méandre (1552), Italian meandro (14th cent.), Spanish meandro (1490), Portuguese meandro (16th cent.).Some early examples of the word in English (most notably quot. 1606 for meanderlike adv. at Derivatives) appear to refer more or less directly to the river Maeander as the type of a winding course.

1. A winding course.

†a. In plural. Convolutions, intricacies, or complications (of situations, emotions, ideas, etc.). Obsolete.

ΘΚΠ

the world > action or operation > difficulty > types of difficulty > [noun] > difficulty or complexity > instance of

labyrinthc1450

node1572

meander1576

meanderc1595

intricacy1611

complication1647

intrigo1648

intrigue1660

intricate1664

intricoa1670

complexity1794

sinuosity1827

complicacy1849

1576 A. Fleming tr. Hippocrates in Panoplie Epist. 285 They being ouerwhelmed in Mæanders of mischiefes.

1597 M. Drayton Englands Heroicall Epist. Notes f. 4 ^v Mæander is a riuer in Lycia... Heereupon are intricate turnings by a transumptiue and Metonimicall kind of speech, called Mæanders.

1631 S. Jerome Arraignem. Whole Creature i. 5 He was in such Meanders of miserie and labyrinths of troubles.

1652 H. L'Estrange Americans No Iewes 71 There are many Meanders and windings in this question of Plantation.

1712 J. Arbuthnot Law is Bottomless-pit vi. 11 Ten long Years did Hocus steer his Cause through all the Meanders of the Law.

1759 R. Jackson Hist. Rev. Pennsylvania 22 In this Purpose I remain ready..until by better Information out of England, we shall be led out of these State Meanders.

†b. In singular. A winding or labyrinthine plan, concept, or course of action. Obsolete.

ΘΚΠ

the world > action or operation > difficulty > types of difficulty > [noun] > difficulty or complexity > instance of

labyrinthc1450

node1572

meander1576

meanderc1595

intricacy1611

complication1647

intrigo1648

intrigue1660

intricate1664

intricoa1670

complexity1794

sinuosity1827

complicacy1849

c1595 Countess of Pembroke Psalme cxliii. 48 in Coll. Wks. (1998) II. 242 Lest awry I wander In walking this Meander.

1634 T. Heywood & R. Brome Late Lancashire Witches iii. sig. H The more I strive to unwinde My selfe from this Meander, I the more Therein am intricated.

1651 N. Biggs Matæotechnia Medicinæ Praxeωs 46 [They] have made of Physick a Meander,..and wild labirynth of incertainty.

c. concrete. A crooked or winding path (of a maze); a labyrinthine passage; a winding or convolution (of a vein, fissure, line, etc.). Usually in plural.

ΘΚΠ

the world > space > shape > curvature > series of curves > [noun] > winding curve(s)

folda1250

windinga1387

wrinkling1387

revolution?a1425

wrinkle1430

crink1567

crank1572

cringle-crangle1573

crinkle1596

crankle1598

crinkle-crankle1598

meander1603

anfractuosity1612

ins and outs1655

sinuationa1676

insinuationa1684

anfractus1719

sinuosity1720

flexuosity1737

evolution1765

cringle1808

wriggle1825

voluminosity1841

squiggle1902

the world > the earth > water > rivers and streams > system > [noun] > bend > meanders

meander1603

the world > space > shape > curvature > series of curves > [noun] > winding curve(s) > thing having > a maze or labyrinth

mazec1430

mizmaze1547

labyrinth1577

turnabouta1603

meander1603

Daedal1699

dédale1916

1603 J. Savile King James his Entertainm. sig. B^v Hee went into the Laberinth-like garden to walke, where hee recreated himselfe in the Meanders compact of Bayes, Rosemarie, and the like.

1605 J. Sylvester tr. G. de S. Du Bartas Deuine Weekes & Wks. ii. i. 290 Round-winding ringes, and intricate Meanders..of an end-lesse Maze.

1615 H. Crooke Μικροκοσμογραϕια 94 Intercepted and deteined within those Meanders [sc. the intestines].

1666 G. Harvey Morbus Anglicus iv. 34 The effuges, or mæanders of the central..parts of the brain.

a1684 J. Evelyn Diary anno 1645 (1955) II. 388 After two or 3 miles wandring in this subterranean Meander [sc. the catacombs].

1750 S. Johnson Rambler No. 65. ⁋2 The new path, which he supposed only to make a few meanders.

1796 W. Combe Hist. Thames II. 3 The garden..retains its early form, and the lesser walks preserve their original meander.

1799 R. Kirwan Geol. Ess. iv. 141 The fibres of the rind..and the meanders of the fibrillae being equally discernible.

1801 J. Jones tr. T. Bugge Trav. French Republic xii. 238 The inextricable windings and meanders of those caves.

1868 T. Westwood Quest of Sancgreall 81 I tress them [sc. flowers] into garlands,..Or weave them in meanders of thy hair.

1993 Toronto Life Apr. 24/3 Education in traffic calming techniques includes..intentional slow street meanders called chicanes that impose speed reducing zigzags.

1998 A. Warner Sopranos 70 At the summit, there was a huge overlook on the glen, its veering meander of the old, single track below the Main, reflecting sun on the un-usedness of its macadam.

a. Physical Geography. A pronounced loop-like bend (usually one of a series) in the course of a slow-moving river, tending to become more exaggerated as a result of erosion of the bank on the outside of the curve and deposition on the inside.

ΘΚΠ

the world > the earth > water > rivers and streams > system > [noun] > bend > meanders > one of

meander1599

volume1717

1599 T. Nashe Lenten Stuffe 14 In all which foords or Meandors..if any drowne themselues in them, their Crowners sit vpon them.

1646 Sir T. Browne Pseudodoxia Epidemica vi. viii. 314 The River Niger..deflecting after Westward, without meanders, continueth a strait course about 40 degrees.

1699 E. Ward London Spy I. viii. 6 Meanders glide so smoothly beneath their Osier Canopies.

1783 W. Beckford Dreams xiii. 142 Springs, whose frequent meanders gave to the whole prospect the appearance of a vast green carpet, shot with silver.

1825 C. Waterton Wanderings in S. Amer. i. i. 118 Probably..these apparently four creeks are only the meanders of one.

1852 G. Bancroft Hist. Amer. Revol. I. xv. 403 The river now flowed in gentle meanders.

1937 S. W. Wooldridge & R. S. Morgan Physical Basis Geogr. xii. 173 Flood alluviation, like aggradation by gravel, is closely linked with the development of meanders.

1987 Nat. Hist. Oct. 57/2 The Jorge Carlos rounds a meander of the Amazon River and the Peruvian city of Iquitos comes into view.

2001 R. Russo Empire Falls Prologue 12 In the end, of course, rivers get their way, and eventually—say, in a few thousand years—the Knox would succeed in cutting its way through the meander.

b. In figurative context (of the movement of a liquid, or of a non-material thing likened to a river).

ΚΠ

1638 R. Brathwait Barnabees Journall (new ed.) ii. sig. G3 When my head feels his [sc. ale's] Mæander, I am stronger than Lysander.

1785 W. Cowper Task iv. 65 Here rills of oily eloquence in soft Mæanders lubricate the course they take.

1820 W. Scott Abbot I. i. 21 The boy..lay..half drowned in the meanders of a fluctuating delirium.

1825 S. L. Fairfield Mina ii. 25 Secret springs of thought And loneliest founts of feeling, well as deeds That silently in wild meanders flow.

3. A circuitous journey or movement (of a person or animal); a deviation from a direct route. Often in plural. Also figurative.

ΘΚΠ

society > travel > aspects of travel > a journey > [noun] > circuitous journey

windlass1530

meander1631

compass1698

roundabouta1734

circuit1785

the world > movement > motion in a certain direction > change of direction of movement > [noun] > indirectness of course > moving in winding course > instance of or a winding course

windinga1387

anfractus?a1425

ambage1537

crank1572

error1594

indenture1598

maze1598

meander1631

circumvolution1633

anfracture1657

1631 J. Weever Anc. Funerall Monuments 241 For building Churches sure he goes to Christ without Meander.

1634 T. Herbert Relation Some Yeares Trauaile 20 Dancing many times, a great multitude passe together, and in Mæanders turne and winde themselues.

1713 E. Young Poem on Last Day ii. 26 So swarming Bees, that..In airy Rings, and wild Meanders play.

1719 D. Defoe Life Robinson Crusoe 346 He made so many Tours, such Meanders, and led us by such winding Ways.

1790 J. Byng Diary 22 Sept. in Torrington Diaries (1938) IV. 163 Throughout our Ride, I was Relating, to the Colonel, The Meandres, of my youthful Huntings over this country.

1891 T. Hardy Tess of the D'Urbervilles III. xliv. 79 Her journey back was rather a meander than a march.

1984 D. DeLillo White Noise (1985) iii. xxxvii. 282 A miscellaneous meditation,..half an hour's campus meander.

1994 Vanity Fair (N.Y.) Aug. 86/2 The best bits on this meander down memory boulevard are the smoochy chanteusing of Catherine Deneuve..Jeanne Moreau and..Juliette Greco.

4. Art and Architecture. An ornamental running pattern consisting of lines connected to each other at regular right angles or forming spiral turnings, frequently arranged so that the width of the lines is equal to the width of the spaces between them; a key pattern, a fret.The pattern is used chiefly as a border ornament on walls, pottery, etc. Though developed mainly by the Greeks, it was also used by the Romans, Ancient Egyptians, North American Indian peoples, Chinese, and Japanese.

ΘΚΠ

society > leisure > the arts > visual arts > ornamental art and craft > pattern or design > [noun] > interlaced

fretc1385

friar knots1488

chainwork1551

knot1638

Gordian knotc1660

meander1706

entrelac1723

triquetra1845

knotwork1851

strapwork1854

Celtic knot1865

snake-knot1866

aligreek1867

plaitwork1871

honeycomb work1874

strap-ornament1895

honeycomb1924

1706 Phillips's New World of Words (new ed.) Mæander,..a Fret-work in arched Roofs.

1737 W. Whiston tr. Josephus Antiq. Jews xii. ii, in tr. Josephus Genuine Wks. 361 Upon the table it self they engraved a meander.

1842 Civil Engineer & Architect's Jrnl. 5 249/2 Fine stucco, the surface of which is decorated with the meandre, and honeysuckle, and lotus-leaved ornament.

1851 C. Newton in J. Ruskin Stones of Venice I. App. xxi. 401 Two conventional imitations [of water], the wave moulding and the Mæander, are well known.

1857 S. Birch Hist. Anc. Pottery (1858) II. 196 The exterior has been ornamented with a mæander, in white paint.

1931 Antiquity 5 126 At Torre Gallii is found the maeander style of decoration.

1958 T. G. E. Powell Celts 100 East Mediterranean motifs such as the meander.

1980 Catal. Fine Chinese Ceramics (Sotheby, Hong Kong) 46 The handle with a tight flowering lotus meander.

1986 J. A. Hall Jungian Experience v. 75 A meander, that intricate decorative motif which suggests the unexpected and unpredictable turnings of a labyrinth.

Compounds

C1. General attributive.

meander pattern n.

ΚΠ

1851 C. Newton in J. Ruskin Stones of Venice I. App. xxi. 401 In the Mæander pattern [of water] the graceful curves of nature are represented by angles.

1998 Phoenix Catal. No. P162. 11/2 Eagle flying right above meander pattern.

meander walk n.

ΚΠ

1766 Museum Rusticum 6 80 Lay out the ground in some gentle meander-walks.

C2.

meander belt n. Physical Geography the area of a valley floor which lies within the outer banks of the meander loops of a river or stream.

ΚΠ

1896 W. M. Davis in National Geographic Mag. 7 191 The Seine is a most vigorous river,..demanding an increased radius for every curve, and thus widening its meander belt.

1937 S. W. Wooldridge & R. S. Morgan Physical Basis Geogr. xii. 157 When newly developed it [sc. the flood-plain] will be coincident in width with the ‘meander belt’ of the stream.

1960 B. W. Sparks Geomorphol. (1986) (BNC) 305 The meanders themselves tend to develop laterally and the meander belt as a whole tends to migrate downstream.

1998 Bull. Geol. Soc. Amer. 110 433/1 Comparisons of soils formed on the three youngest Holocene Mississippi River meander belts..show that the soils record episodes of meander belt growth, abandonment, and relocation.

meander bend n. Physical Geography = meander loop n.

ΚΠ

1914 J. L. Rich in Jrnl. Geol. (Chicago) 22 476 The tendency of the meanders to sweep down-valley leads to more active erosion on the down-valley sides of the meander bends.

1976 K. W. Butzer Geomorphol. from Earth viii. 157 Point bars, developed as a series of low levees on the inside meander bends, form arcuate or parallel ridges and swales.

1991 R. Goldring Fossils in Field ii. 36 (caption) Myra shells being eroded form sediment at outside of meander bend of small channel.

meander line n. U.S. Surveying a survey line that follows an irregular course, esp. one following the bank of a watercourse or the margin of a body of water; cf. meandered adj. 2.

ΚΠ

1875 G. M. Wheeler & D. W. Lockwood Prelim. Rep. Reconnaissance S. & S.E. Nevada 50 So great was the accuracy of these measurements that, taken in connection with the fact that a Casella reconnaissance theodolite was used for the meander of the road traversed, it was unnecessary to reduce meander-lines by the ordinary process of dead-reckoning.

1902 U.S. Rep. (Supreme Court) 185 52 There had been a lake in front of these lots at the time of the survey, which lake had subsequently receded from the platted meander lines.

1967 Appraisal Terminol. & Handbk. (Amer. Inst. Real Estate Appraisers) (ed. 5) 132 Meander line, a line designed to point out the sinuosities of the bank or shore; a survey line to establish the bank or shoreline of a stream or lake.

1999 B. A. Garner Black's Law Dict. (ed. 7) Meander line, a survey line (not a boundary line) on a portion of land, usu. following the course of a river or stream.

meander loop n. Physical Geography a single curve or bend in the course of a meandering river or stream.

ΚΠ

1914 J. L. Rich in Jrnl. Geol. (Chicago) 22 474 It is especially characteristic of this type that the portion of the upland between the meander loops keeps its full height.

1952 G. H. Dury Map Interpr. xii. 116 Fair pointers..are given by the sites of Halford..and Tredington.., each in the inner side of a meander-loop.

1992 Oxfordshire Bull. May 5/2 These areas now occupy most of what was previously about 6ha of meadowland located within a meander loop of the River Thames near Pinkhill Lock.

meander scroll n. Physical Geography one of a series of long, parallel, crescent-shaped ridges and troughs formed along the inner bank of a river meander as it migrates down-valley; cf. point bar n. (b) at point n.¹ Compounds 2.

ΚΠ

1939 A. K. Lobeck Geomorphol. vii. 223 The following observable characteristics of mature streams may be taken to indicate that a graded profile has been established..: (a) Flood plain, with natural levees; (b) meanders, with abandoned meander scrolls, cutoffs and oxbow lakes; [etc.].

1954 W. D. Thornbury Princ. Geomorphol. vii. 168 [A point bar] is roughly equivalent to what has been called a meander bar, meander scroll.., or scroll meander.

1984 J. J. Lowe & M. J. C. Walker Reconstructing Quaternary Environments ii. 72 Fossils are preserved, for example, in abandoned meander scrolls, in oxbow lakes or in backswamp deposits.

Derivatives

† meanderlike adv. Obsolete like a meander or like the river Maeander (see etymology); meanderingly.

ΚΠ

1606 J. Sylvester tr. G. de S. Du Bartas Deuine Weekes & Wks. (new ed.) ii. iv. 29 Now, like thy Iordan, (or Meander-like) Round-wynding nimbly with a manie-Creek.

1612 M. Drayton Poly-olbion x. 159 Riuery veines, Meander-like that glide.

This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, March 2001; most recently modified version published online March 2022).

meanderv.

Brit.

/mɪˈandə/, U.S.

/miˈændər/

Forms: 1600s– meander, 1700s maeander, 1800s meandher (Irish English).

Origin: Formed within English, by conversion. Etymon: meander n.

Etymology: < meander n. In sense 4 perhaps influenced by maunder v.² 2.

a. intransitive. Of a river, stream, etc.: to flow in meanders; to follow a winding course.

ΘΚΠ

the world > the earth > water > rivers and streams > action of river > flow (of river) [verb (intransitive)] > meander

foldc1420

meander1613

straya1616

wire1633

wriggle1640

wimple1720

1613 W. Drummond Teares Death Meliades Forth where thou first did passe Thy tender dayes..Meandring with her streames.

1737 R. Glover Leonidas viii. 149 Soft streams mæander'd.

1816 W. Glen Lonely Isle i. 20 A beauteous rivulet, of silver sheen, Meandered thro' this little vale of bliss.

1894 H. R. Haggard People of Mist xxxvi Rivers that..meandered across the vast plains.

1957 G. E. Hutchinson Treat. Limnol. I. i. 122 Any river flowing in an easily eroded flood plain is therefore apt to meander.

1991 Canoe Mar. 50/3 The river slows and meanders through marsh grasses, where you'll see many birds.

b. transitive. Of a stream: to cover (an area of land) with meanders; to traverse in a winding fashion. Also with over. rare.

ΚΠ

1731 A. Pope Epist. to Earl of Burlington 8 Beds..With silver-quiv'ring Rills mæander'd o'er.

1839 in Trans. Michigan Agric. Soc. (1856) 7 360 Branches of Swan creek meander this track in such manner as to facilitate drainage.

c. intransitive. In extended use.

ΘΚΠ

the world > movement > motion in a certain direction > change of direction of movement > change direction of movement [verb (intransitive)] > move in winding course

to turn and winda1398

wreathea1500

twine1553

indent1567

virea1586

crank1594

to dance the hay or hays1600

maze1605

serpent1606

to indent the way1612

cringlea1629

indenture1631

circumgyre1634

twist1635

glomerate1638

winda1682

serpentine1767

meander1785

zigzag1787

zag1793

to worm one's way1822

vandyke1828

crankle1835

thread the needle1843

switchback1903

rattlesnake1961

zig1969

the world > space > direction > point or lie in a direction [verb (intransitive)] > change direction > turn or bend > bend or wind

twine1553

crankle1598

crinklea1600

creek1610

straggle1612

wind1613

serpentize1699

wander1747

serpentine1767

meander1785

zigzag1787

serpentinize1791

twister1872

snake1875

twist1879

1785 W. Cowper Task iii. 202 Pierce my vein, Take of the crimson stream meandering there.

1835–6 Todd's Cycl. Anat. & Physiol. I. 462/2 Blue veins are seen meandering on its [sc. the skin's] surface.

1853 C. C. Felton Familiar Lett. (1865) xxix. 257 The smoke..meandered in graceful curls among the timbers.

1906 J. Galsworthy Man of Prop. 86 Across the ceiling meandered a long crack.

1970 J. Dickey Deliverance 10 The high ground, in tan and an even paler tone of brown, meandered in and out of various shades and shapes of green, and there was nothing to call you or stop you on one place or the other.

1987 Sunday Express Mag. 2 Aug. (Best of Britain Suppl.) 6 The road travels to the mighty fortress at Conwy, meanders along the lush Conwy valley, then twists through the wooded ways of Betws-y-coed.

†2. transitive. To entangle as in a labyrinth. Obsolete. rare.

ΘΚΠ

the mind > mental capacity > belief > uncertainty, doubt, hesitation > perplexity, bewilderment > act of perplexing > confuse, perplex, bewilder [verb (transitive)]

abobc1330

confusec1350

confoundc1374

cumbera1375

passc1384

maskerc1400

mopc1425

enose1430

manga1450

overmusec1460

perplex1477

maze1482

enmuse1502

ruffle?a1505

unsteady1532

entangle1540

duddle1548

intricate1548

distraught1579

distract1582

mizzle1583

moider1587

amuse1595

mist1598

bepuzzle1599

gravel1601

plunder1601

puzzle1603

intrigue1612

vexa1613

metagrobolize?a1616

befumea1618

fuddle1617

crucify1621

bumfiddlea1625

implicate1625

giddify1628

wilder1642

buzzlea1644

empuzzle1646

dunce1649

addle1652

meander1652

emberlucock1653

flounder1654

study1654

disorient1655

embarrass?1656

essome1660

embrangle1664

jumble1668

dunt1672

muse1673

clutter1685

emblustricate1693

fluster1720

disorientate1728

obfuscate1729

fickle1736

flustrate1797

unharmonize1797

mystify1806

maffle1811

boggle1835

unballast1836

stomber1841

throw1844

serpentine1850

unbalance1856

tickle1865

fog1872

bumfuzzle1878

wander1897

to put off1909

defeat1914

dither1919

befuddle1926

ungear1931

to screw up1941

1652 T. Urquhart Εκσκυβαλαυρον 95 [They devised questions, arguments, etc.] thereby to puzzle him in the resolving of them, Meander him in his answers,..and drive him to a non-plus.

†3. transitive. U.S. To pass or travel circuitously along (a river, etc.). Obsolete.

ΘΚΠ

society > travel > travel by water > [verb (intransitive)] > cruise or sail about

ship1387

range1618

cruise1651

boat1817

meander1821

1821 in Missouri Hist. Soc. Coll. (1906) II. 61 We still continued meandering the Arkansas.

1831 J. O. Pattie Personal Narr. Exped. from St. Louis 13 We crossed the Missouri..and meandered the river as far as Pilcher's fort.

1839 Z. Leonard Narr. Adventures (1904) 69 We separated, each party to meander the rivers that had been respectively allotted to them.

4. intransitive. Of a person: to wander aimlessly; to follow a circuitous course. Frequently with along, through, etc. Also in extended use.

ΘΚΠ

society > travel > aspects of travel > travel from place to place > [verb (intransitive)] > with no fixed aim or wander > idly

roil?c1335

gada1500

stavera1500

vaguea1525

scoterlope1574

idle1599

haika1605

saunter1671

stravaig1801

palmer1805

streel1805

taver1808

traik1818

gander1822

gallivant1823

gilravage1825

project1828

daud1831

meander1831

to knock about1833

to kick about1839

to knock round1848

piroot1858

sashay1865

june1869

tootle1902

slop1907

beetle1919

stooge1941

swan1942

1831 S. Lover Legends & Stories Ireland 151 He wint meandherin' along through the fields.

1872 C. S. Calverley Fly Leaves 101 I meandered Through some chapters of Vanity Fair.

1875 A. Helps Social Pressure v. 71 They will have..meandered about the flower-garden in a listless way.

1908 K. Grahame Wind in Willows i. 4 He thought his happiness was complete when, as he meandered aimlessly along, suddenly he stood by the edge of a full-fed river.

1967 G. F. Fiennes I tried to run Railway iv. 38 We meandered on to the school.

1984 K. Waterhouse Thinks xvii. 156 Bapty is fairly drunk as he meanders along to platform nineteen where his train is now waiting.

This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, March 2001; most recently modified version published online June 2022).

单词	meander
释义	meandern. Brit. /mɪˈandə/, U.S. /miˈændər/ Forms: 1500s meandor, 1500s– maeander, 1500s– meander, 1700s–1800s meandre. Origin: A borrowing from Latin. Etymon: Latin maeander. Etymology: < classical Latin maeander (ancient Greek μαίανδρος), transferred use of the name of the river Maeander or Maeandros (now Menderes) in Caria (now western Turkey), noted for its winding course. Compare Middle French, French méandre (1552), Italian meandro (14th cent.), Spanish meandro (1490), Portuguese meandro (16th cent.).Some early examples of the word in English (most notably quot. 1606 for meanderlike adv. at Derivatives) appear to refer more or less directly to the river Maeander as the type of a winding course. 1. A winding course. †a. In plural. Convolutions, intricacies, or complications (of situations, emotions, ideas, etc.). Obsolete. ΘΚΠ the world > action or operation > difficulty > types of difficulty > [noun] > difficulty or complexity > instance of labyrinthc1450 node1572 meander1576 meanderc1595 intricacy1611 complication1647 intrigo1648 intrigue1660 intricate1664 intricoa1670 complexity1794 sinuosity1827 complicacy1849 1576 A. Fleming tr. Hippocrates in Panoplie Epist. 285 They being ouerwhelmed in Mæanders of mischiefes. 1597 M. Drayton Englands Heroicall Epist. Notes f. 4 ^v Mæander is a riuer in Lycia... Heereupon are intricate turnings by a transumptiue and Metonimicall kind of speech, called Mæanders. 1631 S. Jerome Arraignem. Whole Creature i. 5 He was in such Meanders of miserie and labyrinths of troubles. 1652 H. L'Estrange Americans No Iewes 71 There are many Meanders and windings in this question of Plantation. 1712 J. Arbuthnot Law is Bottomless-pit vi. 11 Ten long Years did Hocus steer his Cause through all the Meanders of the Law. 1759 R. Jackson Hist. Rev. Pennsylvania 22 In this Purpose I remain ready..until by better Information out of England, we shall be led out of these State Meanders. †b. In singular. A winding or labyrinthine plan, concept, or course of action. Obsolete. ΘΚΠ the world > action or operation > difficulty > types of difficulty > [noun] > difficulty or complexity > instance of labyrinthc1450 node1572 meander1576 meanderc1595 intricacy1611 complication1647 intrigo1648 intrigue1660 intricate1664 intricoa1670 complexity1794 sinuosity1827 complicacy1849 c1595 Countess of Pembroke Psalme cxliii. 48 in Coll. Wks. (1998) II. 242 Lest awry I wander In walking this Meander. 1634 T. Heywood & R. Brome Late Lancashire Witches iii. sig. H The more I strive to unwinde My selfe from this Meander, I the more Therein am intricated. 1651 N. Biggs Matæotechnia Medicinæ Praxeωs 46 [They] have made of Physick a Meander,..and wild labirynth of incertainty. c. concrete. A crooked or winding path (of a maze); a labyrinthine passage; a winding or convolution (of a vein, fissure, line, etc.). Usually in plural. ΘΚΠ the world > space > shape > curvature > series of curves > [noun] > winding curve(s) folda1250 windinga1387 wrinkling1387 revolution?a1425 wrinkle1430 crink1567 crank1572 cringle-crangle1573 crinkle1596 crankle1598 crinkle-crankle1598 meander1603 anfractuosity1612 ins and outs1655 sinuationa1676 insinuationa1684 anfractus1719 sinuosity1720 flexuosity1737 evolution1765 cringle1808 wriggle1825 voluminosity1841 squiggle1902 the world > the earth > water > rivers and streams > system > [noun] > bend > meanders meander1603 the world > space > shape > curvature > series of curves > [noun] > winding curve(s) > thing having > a maze or labyrinth mazec1430 mizmaze1547 labyrinth1577 turnabouta1603 meander1603 Daedal1699 dédale1916 1603 J. Savile King James his Entertainm. sig. B^v Hee went into the Laberinth-like garden to walke, where hee recreated himselfe in the Meanders compact of Bayes, Rosemarie, and the like. 1605 J. Sylvester tr. G. de S. Du Bartas Deuine Weekes & Wks. ii. i. 290 Round-winding ringes, and intricate Meanders..of an end-lesse Maze. 1615 H. Crooke Μικροκοσμογραϕια 94 Intercepted and deteined within those Meanders [sc. the intestines]. 1666 G. Harvey Morbus Anglicus iv. 34 The effuges, or mæanders of the central..parts of the brain. a1684 J. Evelyn Diary anno 1645 (1955) II. 388 After two or 3 miles wandring in this subterranean Meander [sc. the catacombs]. 1750 S. Johnson Rambler No. 65. ⁋2 The new path, which he supposed only to make a few meanders. 1796 W. Combe Hist. Thames II. 3 The garden..retains its early form, and the lesser walks preserve their original meander. 1799 R. Kirwan Geol. Ess. iv. 141 The fibres of the rind..and the meanders of the fibrillae being equally discernible. 1801 J. Jones tr. T. Bugge Trav. French Republic xii. 238 The inextricable windings and meanders of those caves. 1868 T. Westwood Quest of Sancgreall 81 I tress them [sc. flowers] into garlands,..Or weave them in meanders of thy hair. 1993 Toronto Life Apr. 24/3 Education in traffic calming techniques includes..intentional slow street meanders called chicanes that impose speed reducing zigzags. 1998 A. Warner Sopranos 70 At the summit, there was a huge overlook on the glen, its veering meander of the old, single track below the Main, reflecting sun on the un-usedness of its macadam. 2. a. Physical Geography. A pronounced loop-like bend (usually one of a series) in the course of a slow-moving river, tending to become more exaggerated as a result of erosion of the bank on the outside of the curve and deposition on the inside. ΘΚΠ the world > the earth > water > rivers and streams > system > [noun] > bend > meanders > one of meander1599 volume1717 1599 T. Nashe Lenten Stuffe 14 In all which foords or Meandors..if any drowne themselues in them, their Crowners sit vpon them. 1646 Sir T. Browne Pseudodoxia Epidemica vi. viii. 314 The River Niger..deflecting after Westward, without meanders, continueth a strait course about 40 degrees. View more context for this quotation 1699 E. Ward London Spy I. viii. 6 Meanders glide so smoothly beneath their Osier Canopies. 1783 W. Beckford Dreams xiii. 142 Springs, whose frequent meanders gave to the whole prospect the appearance of a vast green carpet, shot with silver. 1825 C. Waterton Wanderings in S. Amer. i. i. 118 Probably..these apparently four creeks are only the meanders of one. 1852 G. Bancroft Hist. Amer. Revol. I. xv. 403 The river now flowed in gentle meanders. 1937 S. W. Wooldridge & R. S. Morgan Physical Basis Geogr. xii. 173 Flood alluviation, like aggradation by gravel, is closely linked with the development of meanders. 1987 Nat. Hist. Oct. 57/2 The Jorge Carlos rounds a meander of the Amazon River and the Peruvian city of Iquitos comes into view. 2001 R. Russo Empire Falls Prologue 12 In the end, of course, rivers get their way, and eventually—say, in a few thousand years—the Knox would succeed in cutting its way through the meander. b. In figurative context (of the movement of a liquid, or of a non-material thing likened to a river). ΚΠ 1638 R. Brathwait Barnabees Journall (new ed.) ii. sig. G3 When my head feels his [sc. ale's] Mæander, I am stronger than Lysander. 1785 W. Cowper Task iv. 65 Here rills of oily eloquence in soft Mæanders lubricate the course they take. 1820 W. Scott Abbot I. i. 21 The boy..lay..half drowned in the meanders of a fluctuating delirium. 1825 S. L. Fairfield Mina ii. 25 Secret springs of thought And loneliest founts of feeling, well as deeds That silently in wild meanders flow. 3. A circuitous journey or movement (of a person or animal); a deviation from a direct route. Often in plural. Also figurative. ΘΚΠ society > travel > aspects of travel > a journey > [noun] > circuitous journey windlass1530 meander1631 compass1698 roundabouta1734 circuit1785 the world > movement > motion in a certain direction > change of direction of movement > [noun] > indirectness of course > moving in winding course > instance of or a winding course windinga1387 anfractus?a1425 ambage1537 crank1572 error1594 indenture1598 maze1598 meander1631 circumvolution1633 anfracture1657 1631 J. Weever Anc. Funerall Monuments 241 For building Churches sure he goes to Christ without Meander. 1634 T. Herbert Relation Some Yeares Trauaile 20 Dancing many times, a great multitude passe together, and in Mæanders turne and winde themselues. 1713 E. Young Poem on Last Day ii. 26 So swarming Bees, that..In airy Rings, and wild Meanders play. 1719 D. Defoe Life Robinson Crusoe 346 He made so many Tours, such Meanders, and led us by such winding Ways. 1790 J. Byng Diary 22 Sept. in Torrington Diaries (1938) IV. 163 Throughout our Ride, I was Relating, to the Colonel, The Meandres, of my youthful Huntings over this country. 1891 T. Hardy Tess of the D'Urbervilles III. xliv. 79 Her journey back was rather a meander than a march. 1984 D. DeLillo White Noise (1985) iii. xxxvii. 282 A miscellaneous meditation,..half an hour's campus meander. 1994 Vanity Fair (N.Y.) Aug. 86/2 The best bits on this meander down memory boulevard are the smoochy chanteusing of Catherine Deneuve..Jeanne Moreau and..Juliette Greco. 4. Art and Architecture. An ornamental running pattern consisting of lines connected to each other at regular right angles or forming spiral turnings, frequently arranged so that the width of the lines is equal to the width of the spaces between them; a key pattern, a fret.The pattern is used chiefly as a border ornament on walls, pottery, etc. Though developed mainly by the Greeks, it was also used by the Romans, Ancient Egyptians, North American Indian peoples, Chinese, and Japanese. ΘΚΠ society > leisure > the arts > visual arts > ornamental art and craft > pattern or design > [noun] > interlaced fretc1385 friar knots1488 chainwork1551 knot1638 Gordian knotc1660 meander1706 entrelac1723 triquetra1845 knotwork1851 strapwork1854 Celtic knot1865 snake-knot1866 aligreek1867 plaitwork1871 honeycomb work1874 strap-ornament1895 honeycomb1924 1706 Phillips's New World of Words (new ed.) Mæander,..a Fret-work in arched Roofs. 1737 W. Whiston tr. Josephus Antiq. Jews xii. ii, in tr. Josephus Genuine Wks. 361 Upon the table it self they engraved a meander. 1842 Civil Engineer & Architect's Jrnl. 5 249/2 Fine stucco, the surface of which is decorated with the meandre, and honeysuckle, and lotus-leaved ornament. 1851 C. Newton in J. Ruskin Stones of Venice I. App. xxi. 401 Two conventional imitations [of water], the wave moulding and the Mæander, are well known. 1857 S. Birch Hist. Anc. Pottery (1858) II. 196 The exterior has been ornamented with a mæander, in white paint. 1931 Antiquity 5 126 At Torre Gallii is found the maeander style of decoration. 1958 T. G. E. Powell Celts 100 East Mediterranean motifs such as the meander. 1980 Catal. Fine Chinese Ceramics (Sotheby, Hong Kong) 46 The handle with a tight flowering lotus meander. 1986 J. A. Hall Jungian Experience v. 75 A meander, that intricate decorative motif which suggests the unexpected and unpredictable turnings of a labyrinth. Compounds C1. General attributive. meander pattern n. ΚΠ 1851 C. Newton in J. Ruskin Stones of Venice I. App. xxi. 401 In the Mæander pattern [of water] the graceful curves of nature are represented by angles. 1998 Phoenix Catal. No. P162. 11/2 Eagle flying right above meander pattern. meander walk n. ΚΠ 1766 Museum Rusticum 6 80 Lay out the ground in some gentle meander-walks. C2. meander belt n. Physical Geography the area of a valley floor which lies within the outer banks of the meander loops of a river or stream. ΚΠ 1896 W. M. Davis in National Geographic Mag. 7 191 The Seine is a most vigorous river,..demanding an increased radius for every curve, and thus widening its meander belt. 1937 S. W. Wooldridge & R. S. Morgan Physical Basis Geogr. xii. 157 When newly developed it [sc. the flood-plain] will be coincident in width with the ‘meander belt’ of the stream. 1960 B. W. Sparks Geomorphol. (1986) (BNC) 305 The meanders themselves tend to develop laterally and the meander belt as a whole tends to migrate downstream. 1998 Bull. Geol. Soc. Amer. 110 433/1 Comparisons of soils formed on the three youngest Holocene Mississippi River meander belts..show that the soils record episodes of meander belt growth, abandonment, and relocation. meander bend n. Physical Geography = meander loop n. ΚΠ 1914 J. L. Rich in Jrnl. Geol. (Chicago) 22 476 The tendency of the meanders to sweep down-valley leads to more active erosion on the down-valley sides of the meander bends. 1976 K. W. Butzer Geomorphol. from Earth viii. 157 Point bars, developed as a series of low levees on the inside meander bends, form arcuate or parallel ridges and swales. 1991 R. Goldring Fossils in Field ii. 36 (caption) Myra shells being eroded form sediment at outside of meander bend of small channel. meander line n. U.S. Surveying a survey line that follows an irregular course, esp. one following the bank of a watercourse or the margin of a body of water; cf. meandered adj. 2. ΚΠ 1875 G. M. Wheeler & D. W. Lockwood Prelim. Rep. Reconnaissance S. & S.E. Nevada 50 So great was the accuracy of these measurements that, taken in connection with the fact that a Casella reconnaissance theodolite was used for the meander of the road traversed, it was unnecessary to reduce meander-lines by the ordinary process of dead-reckoning. 1902 U.S. Rep. (Supreme Court) 185 52 There had been a lake in front of these lots at the time of the survey, which lake had subsequently receded from the platted meander lines. 1967 Appraisal Terminol. & Handbk. (Amer. Inst. Real Estate Appraisers) (ed. 5) 132 Meander line, a line designed to point out the sinuosities of the bank or shore; a survey line to establish the bank or shoreline of a stream or lake. 1999 B. A. Garner Black's Law Dict. (ed. 7) Meander line, a survey line (not a boundary line) on a portion of land, usu. following the course of a river or stream. meander loop n. Physical Geography a single curve or bend in the course of a meandering river or stream. ΚΠ 1914 J. L. Rich in Jrnl. Geol. (Chicago) 22 474 It is especially characteristic of this type that the portion of the upland between the meander loops keeps its full height. 1952 G. H. Dury Map Interpr. xii. 116 Fair pointers..are given by the sites of Halford..and Tredington.., each in the inner side of a meander-loop. 1992 Oxfordshire Bull. May 5/2 These areas now occupy most of what was previously about 6ha of meadowland located within a meander loop of the River Thames near Pinkhill Lock. meander scroll n. Physical Geography one of a series of long, parallel, crescent-shaped ridges and troughs formed along the inner bank of a river meander as it migrates down-valley; cf. point bar n. (b) at point n.¹ Compounds 2. ΚΠ 1939 A. K. Lobeck Geomorphol. vii. 223 The following observable characteristics of mature streams may be taken to indicate that a graded profile has been established..: (a) Flood plain, with natural levees; (b) meanders, with abandoned meander scrolls, cutoffs and oxbow lakes; [etc.]. 1954 W. D. Thornbury Princ. Geomorphol. vii. 168 [A point bar] is roughly equivalent to what has been called a meander bar, meander scroll.., or scroll meander. 1984 J. J. Lowe & M. J. C. Walker Reconstructing Quaternary Environments ii. 72 Fossils are preserved, for example, in abandoned meander scrolls, in oxbow lakes or in backswamp deposits. Derivatives † meanderlike adv. Obsolete like a meander or like the river Maeander (see etymology); meanderingly. ΚΠ 1606 J. Sylvester tr. G. de S. Du Bartas Deuine Weekes & Wks. (new ed.) ii. iv. 29 Now, like thy Iordan, (or Meander-like) Round-wynding nimbly with a manie-Creek. 1612 M. Drayton Poly-olbion x. 159 Riuery veines, Meander-like that glide. This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, March 2001; most recently modified version published online March 2022). meanderv. Brit. /mɪˈandə/, U.S. /miˈændər/ Forms: 1600s– meander, 1700s maeander, 1800s meandher (Irish English). Origin: Formed within English, by conversion. Etymon: meander n. Etymology: < meander n. In sense 4 perhaps influenced by maunder v.² 2. 1. a. intransitive. Of a river, stream, etc.: to flow in meanders; to follow a winding course. ΘΚΠ the world > the earth > water > rivers and streams > action of river > flow (of river) [verb (intransitive)] > meander foldc1420 meander1613 straya1616 wire1633 wriggle1640 wimple1720 1613 W. Drummond Teares Death Meliades Forth where thou first did passe Thy tender dayes..Meandring with her streames. 1737 R. Glover Leonidas viii. 149 Soft streams mæander'd. 1816 W. Glen Lonely Isle i. 20 A beauteous rivulet, of silver sheen, Meandered thro' this little vale of bliss. 1894 H. R. Haggard People of Mist xxxvi Rivers that..meandered across the vast plains. 1957 G. E. Hutchinson Treat. Limnol. I. i. 122 Any river flowing in an easily eroded flood plain is therefore apt to meander. 1991 Canoe Mar. 50/3 The river slows and meanders through marsh grasses, where you'll see many birds. b. transitive. Of a stream: to cover (an area of land) with meanders; to traverse in a winding fashion. Also with over. rare. ΚΠ 1731 A. Pope Epist. to Earl of Burlington 8 Beds..With silver-quiv'ring Rills mæander'd o'er. 1839 in Trans. Michigan Agric. Soc. (1856) 7 360 Branches of Swan creek meander this track in such manner as to facilitate drainage. c. intransitive. In extended use. ΘΚΠ the world > movement > motion in a certain direction > change of direction of movement > change direction of movement [verb (intransitive)] > move in winding course to turn and winda1398 wreathea1500 twine1553 indent1567 virea1586 crank1594 to dance the hay or hays1600 maze1605 serpent1606 to indent the way1612 cringlea1629 indenture1631 circumgyre1634 twist1635 glomerate1638 winda1682 serpentine1767 meander1785 zigzag1787 zag1793 to worm one's way1822 vandyke1828 crankle1835 thread the needle1843 switchback1903 rattlesnake1961 zig1969 the world > space > direction > point or lie in a direction [verb (intransitive)] > change direction > turn or bend > bend or wind twine1553 crankle1598 crinklea1600 creek1610 straggle1612 wind1613 serpentize1699 wander1747 serpentine1767 meander1785 zigzag1787 serpentinize1791 twister1872 snake1875 twist1879 1785 W. Cowper Task iii. 202 Pierce my vein, Take of the crimson stream meandering there. 1835–6 Todd's Cycl. Anat. & Physiol. I. 462/2 Blue veins are seen meandering on its [sc. the skin's] surface. 1853 C. C. Felton Familiar Lett. (1865) xxix. 257 The smoke..meandered in graceful curls among the timbers. 1906 J. Galsworthy Man of Prop. 86 Across the ceiling meandered a long crack. 1970 J. Dickey Deliverance 10 The high ground, in tan and an even paler tone of brown, meandered in and out of various shades and shapes of green, and there was nothing to call you or stop you on one place or the other. 1987 Sunday Express Mag. 2 Aug. (Best of Britain Suppl.) 6 The road travels to the mighty fortress at Conwy, meanders along the lush Conwy valley, then twists through the wooded ways of Betws-y-coed. †2. transitive. To entangle as in a labyrinth. Obsolete. rare. ΘΚΠ the mind > mental capacity > belief > uncertainty, doubt, hesitation > perplexity, bewilderment > act of perplexing > confuse, perplex, bewilder [verb (transitive)] abobc1330 confusec1350 confoundc1374 cumbera1375 passc1384 maskerc1400 mopc1425 enose1430 manga1450 overmusec1460 perplex1477 maze1482 enmuse1502 ruffle?a1505 unsteady1532 entangle1540 duddle1548 intricate1548 distraught1579 distract1582 mizzle1583 moider1587 amuse1595 mist1598 bepuzzle1599 gravel1601 plunder1601 puzzle1603 intrigue1612 vexa1613 metagrobolize?a1616 befumea1618 fuddle1617 crucify1621 bumfiddlea1625 implicate1625 giddify1628 wilder1642 buzzlea1644 empuzzle1646 dunce1649 addle1652 meander1652 emberlucock1653 flounder1654 study1654 disorient1655 embarrass?1656 essome1660 embrangle1664 jumble1668 dunt1672 muse1673 clutter1685 emblustricate1693 fluster1720 disorientate1728 obfuscate1729 fickle1736 flustrate1797 unharmonize1797 mystify1806 maffle1811 boggle1835 unballast1836 stomber1841 throw1844 serpentine1850 unbalance1856 tickle1865 fog1872 bumfuzzle1878 wander1897 to put off1909 defeat1914 dither1919 befuddle1926 ungear1931 to screw up1941 1652 T. Urquhart Εκσκυβαλαυρον 95 [They devised questions, arguments, etc.] thereby to puzzle him in the resolving of them, Meander him in his answers,..and drive him to a non-plus. †3. transitive. U.S. To pass or travel circuitously along (a river, etc.). Obsolete. ΘΚΠ society > travel > travel by water > [verb (intransitive)] > cruise or sail about ship1387 range1618 cruise1651 boat1817 meander1821 1821 in Missouri Hist. Soc. Coll. (1906) II. 61 We still continued meandering the Arkansas. 1831 J. O. Pattie Personal Narr. Exped. from St. Louis 13 We crossed the Missouri..and meandered the river as far as Pilcher's fort. 1839 Z. Leonard Narr. Adventures (1904) 69 We separated, each party to meander the rivers that had been respectively allotted to them. 4. intransitive. Of a person: to wander aimlessly; to follow a circuitous course. Frequently with along, through, etc. Also in extended use. ΘΚΠ society > travel > aspects of travel > travel from place to place > [verb (intransitive)] > with no fixed aim or wander > idly roil?c1335 gada1500 stavera1500 vaguea1525 scoterlope1574 idle1599 haika1605 saunter1671 stravaig1801 palmer1805 streel1805 taver1808 traik1818 gander1822 gallivant1823 gilravage1825 project1828 daud1831 meander1831 to knock about1833 to kick about1839 to knock round1848 piroot1858 sashay1865 june1869 tootle1902 slop1907 beetle1919 stooge1941 swan1942 1831 S. Lover Legends & Stories Ireland 151 He wint meandherin' along through the fields. 1872 C. S. Calverley Fly Leaves 101 I meandered Through some chapters of Vanity Fair. 1875 A. Helps Social Pressure v. 71 They will have..meandered about the flower-garden in a listless way. 1908 K. Grahame Wind in Willows i. 4 He thought his happiness was complete when, as he meandered aimlessly along, suddenly he stood by the edge of a full-fed river. 1967 G. F. Fiennes I tried to run Railway iv. 38 We meandered on to the school. 1984 K. Waterhouse Thinks xvii. 156 Bapty is fairly drunk as he meanders along to platform nineteen where his train is now waiting. This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, March 2001; most recently modified version published online June 2022). < n.1576v.1613
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