I. ˈkriˌskrȯs also -räs noun
( -es )
Etymology: alteration of christcross
1. : christcross ; especially : mark 2b(1)
2. archaic : ticktacktoe
3. : a crisscross pattern or something made up of one : network
a crisscross of greenery overhead — New Yorker
4. : something disordered or at cross purposes : confused state
the fallacy which leads to this crisscross of interpretations and opinions is the familiar one of confusing what the poet creates with what he represents — Susanne K. Langer
a depressing crisscross of figures
5. : a play in football in which the paths of two offensive players cross ; also : a pass pattern in which two receivers cross to opposite sides of the field
II. verb
( -ed/-ing/-es )
transitive verb
1. : to mark or score with intersecting lines
crisscross the fat with a sharp knife
2. : to pass back and forth through or over
British ships crisscrossed the seas
intransitive verb
1. : to go or pass back and forth
birds crisscrossing in the blue
2. : to run toward opposite sides of the football field (as on a pass pattern)
had the ends crisscross downfield to confuse the pass defenders
III. adjective
also criss·crossed ˈ ̷ ̷| ̷ ̷
: marked or characterized by crisscrossing
his crisscross course
: so arranged that constituent parts cross
a crisscross bodice
crisscross fires
: disposed in or made up of crossing lines
crisscross threads
a crisscross pattern
IV. adverb
1. : in opposite directions : in a way to cross something else : by crossing one another
2. : with opposition or hindrance : at cross-purposes : awry , askew , contrarily
things go crisscross