word square

American  

noun

1. a set of words such that when arranged one beneath another in the form of a square they read alike horizontally and vertically.

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word square British  

noun

1. a puzzle in which the player must fill a square grid with words that read the same across as down

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Etymology

Origin of word square

First recorded in 1875–80

Example Sentences

The word square means four-cornered, or lacking flexibility.

From Time Magazine Archive

Many years ago," observed Maine's Senator Margaret Chase Smith, 66, at a dinner in Manhattan, "the word square was one of the most honored words in our vocabulary.

From Time Magazine Archive

And today's argot changes so quickly that by the time a catch line shows up in ads, it has often become as outdated and square as, well, the word square itself.

From Time Magazine Archive

Now here they are said to be all square; square is a note of perfection; but this word square may be taken two ways.

From Works of John Bunyan — Volume 03 by Bunyan, John

I see what a square is by seeing squares and handling them, and later I get this idea simply in response to the word "square" in conversation or reading.

From Psychology A Study Of Mental Life by Woodworth, Robert S.