Checkered

Part of speech: adjective

Definitions

1. Having a design composed of squares in two or more different colors
2. Describing something that is arranged in a grid-like pattern with alternating colors or shades
3. Featuring a pattern of squares with contrasting colors ; characterized by a history or background that includes both positive and negative experiences

Etymology: The word "checker" is the older base, and it traces back to Old French "chekier" and Latin "scaccarium", the chessboard or counting table, which in turn comes from Latin "scaccus" (chess). The noun "checker" first named the board itself, and the sense of a squared pattern grew out of that board's black-and-white grid. Adding "-ed" turns the noun into an adjective meaning marked with such a pattern, which is why a checkered flag or a checkered shirt both carry the image of a chessboard. The figurative sense, a life or career with both good and bad episodes, grew from the same pattern. A history full of ups and downs looks like alternating squares of light and dark, so the image of the board shifted from surface decoration to a description of experience.

Synonyms: patterned, variegated

Antonyms: solid, unvariegated