boustrophedon

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

/ ˌbu strəˈfid n, -ˈfi dɒn, ˌbaʊ- /

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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transliterate

to remove or destroy all traces of.

to change (letters, words, etc.), into corresponding characters of another alphabet or language.

to explain in terms that can be more easily understood.

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Origin of boustrophedon

1775–85; < Greek boustrophēdón literally, like ox-turning (in plowing), equivalent to bou- (stem of boûs) ox + -strophē- (see strophe) + -don adv. suffix

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. 2020

Example sentences from the Web for boustrophedon

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