I. noun
also mae·an·der mēˈandə(r), -ˈaan-
( -s )
Etymology: Latin maeander, from Greek maiandros, from Maiandros (now Menderes ), river in western Asia Minor proverbial for its winding course
1.
a. : a turn or winding of a stream
b. : a winding path or course : labyrinth
2. : a tortuous or intricate movement or journeying
3. : the Greek fret or key pattern originating in the period of geometric art about 1000-700 B.C. to become a permanent motif in Greek ornament
II. verb
( meandered ; meandered ; meandering -d(ə)riŋ ; meanders )
intransitive verb
1. : to wind or turn in a course or passage : follow an intricate course
across the ceiling meandered a long crack — John Galsworthy
2. : to wander aimlessly or casually and without urgent destination : ramble , drift
meandered lazily through old diaries in vague search of an idea
meandering fruitlessly from one job to another
transitive verb
1. : to form a meander in or of : cause to meander
streams meandering the flat plain
strolling along the meandered bank
2. : to follow along the windings of (as a stream)
meandered the lower reaches of the river
3. : to survey a meander line on or along
if such streams were not meandered in connection with the public survey — U.S. Code