meander

¹

[mee-an-der]

verb (used without object)

1. to proceed by or take a winding or indirect course.

   The stream meandered through the valley.

   Synonyms: coil, snake, twist, wind, wander

2. to wander aimlessly; ramble.

   The talk meandered on.

verb (used with object)

1. Surveying.,  to define the margin of (a body of water) with a meander line.

noun

1. Usually meanders. turnings or windings; a winding path or course.

2. a circuitous movement or journey.

3. an intricate variety of fret or fretwork.

Meander

²

[mee-an-der]

noun

1. ancient name of the Menderes.

Meander

¹

/ miːˈændə /

noun

1. a variant spelling of Maeander

meander

²

/ mɪˈændə /

verb

1. to follow a winding course

2. to wander without definite aim or direction

noun

1. (often plural) a curve or bend, as in a river

2. (often plural) a winding course or movement

3. an ornamental pattern, esp as used in ancient Greek architecture

meander

1. A sinuous curve, bend, or loop along the course of a stream or river.

Other Word Forms

• meanderer noun
• meanderingly adverb
• meandering adjective
• meandrous adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of meander¹

1570–80; < Latin maeander < Greek maíandros a winding, special use of Maíandros, the Menderes River, noted for its winding course

Word History and Origins

Origin of meander¹

C16: from Latin maeander, from Greek Maiandros the River Maeander; see _Menderes (sense 1)

Example Sentences

Grief, too, steers us, a cleansing ritual, as I recall each time my wife and I meander beneath Green-Wood’s leafy canopy, parakeets swooping and chattering overhead, or sit quietly in its hushed chapel.

From Los Angeles Times

They say that global warming is making these currents increasingly "wavier", which means it's meandering and not following a steady path.

From BBC

Jasmine Joyce-Butchers injected some much needed fire into Welsh bellies with a meandering 40m break, but Scotland scrambled well and won a timely turnover.

From BBC

The party was in a meandering warehouse converted to an intergalactic space station.

From Los Angeles Times

“But we’d meandered away from the band in so many different ways that maybe it would have been another three, four, five years.”

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• drift 
• ramble 
• roam 
• snake 
• stray 
• stroll 
• traipse