meander

me-an-der/miˈændɚ/US

noun

  1. 1

    One of the turns of a winding, crooked, or involved course.

    the meanders of an old river, or of the veins and arteries in the body

  2. 2

    One of a series of regular sinuous curves, bends, loops, turns, or windings in the channel of a river, stream, or other watercourse

  3. 3

    A tortuous or winding journey.

  4. 4

    Synonym of Greek key, a decorative border; fretwork.

  5. 5

    A self-avoiding closed curve which intersects a line a number of times.

  6. 6

    A path on which the directions, distances, and elevations are noted, as a part of a land survey.

  7. 7

    A decorative border consisting of a repeated linear motif, particularly of intersecting perpendicular lines.

verb

  1. 1

    To wind or turn in a course or passage

    The stream meandered through the valley.

  2. 2

    To be intricate.

    His speech meandered through various topics.

  3. 3

    To wind, turn, or twist; to make flexuous.

Etymology

From the Maeander, a famously winding river in ancient Asia Minor.

Synonyms

Also useful for “meander”:Unscrambler