boustrophedon

[ boo-struh-feed-n, -fee-don, bou- ]

/ ˌbu strəˈfid n, -ˈfi dɒn, ˌbaʊ- /

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noun

an ancient method of writing in which the lines run alternately from right to left and from left to right.

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Origin of boustrophedon

First recorded in 1775–85; from Greek boustrophēdón literally, “like an ox turning (in plowing),” equivalent to bou- (stem of boûs ) “bull, cow, ox” + -strophē- + -don adverb suffix; see origin at cow¹, strophe

Words nearby boustrophedon

bourrée, bourse, bourtree, bouse, bousouki, boustrophedon, bousy, bout, boutade, boutel, boutique

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2022

How to use boustrophedon in a sentence

The words of the text are ranged in squares in such a manner as to be read either vertically or boustrophedon.
Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 15, Slice 6|Various
It is written in the most ancient Greek characters, and in the Boustrophedon manner.
Museum of Antiquity|L. W. Yaggy

British Dictionary definitions for boustrophedon

boustrophedon

/ (ˌbuːstrəˈfiːdən, ˌbaʊ-) /

adjective

having alternate lines written from right to left and from left to right

Word Origin for boustrophedon

C17: from Greek, literally: turning as in ploughing with oxen, from bous ox + -strophēdon from strephein to turn; see strophe

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012