/ ˈzɪgzæg; NAmE / noun , verb
■ noun
a line or pattern that looks like a series of letter W's as it bends to the left and then to the right again :
The path descended the hill in a series of zigzags.
► zig·zag adjective [ only before noun ]:
a zigzag line / path / pattern
■ verb
( -gg- ) [ v , usually + adv. / prep. ] to move forward by making sharp sudden turns first to the left and then to the right :
The narrow path zigzags up the cliff.
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WORD ORIGIN
early 18th cent.: from French , from German Zickzack , symbolic of alternation of direction, first applied to fortifications.