Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “zigzag” come from?

Zigzag comes from French zigzag, a reduplicated form imitating the sharp alternating angles of a back-and-forth pattern.

zigzag (English): a line or path that proceeds by sharp turns in...

Definitions

  1. a line or path that proceeds by sharp turns in...

Ancestry of “zigzag”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Frenchzigzagzigzag
2GermanZickzackzigzag
3Italianzigzagareintransitive; to zigzag; to walk in a zigzag...
4Russianзигза́г—

Words derived from “zigzag”

  • zigzagging
  • zigzaggy
  • zigzaggery
  • zigzagger
  • zigzaggingly
Every word from Russian зигза́г →