Crisscrosses

Part of speech: verb

Definitions

1. To form a pattern by intersecting lines or paths; to move back and forth in a weaving or crossing manner; to interact or engage in ways that connect different points or areas in a non-linear fashion
2. To create an intricate arrangement through intersecting routes or motions; to alternate between movements in various directions; to connect or relate disparate elements by overlapping paths or ideas
3. To establish a design by crossing lines or pathways repeatedly; to shift directions in a zigzag pattern; to bring together diverse elements through crossing interactions or relationships

Etymology: Crisscross began as "Christ's cross," a Middle English phrase referring to the cross on which Jesus was crucified. Medieval writers used the term for the cross-shaped mark at the top of a hornbook, the page that taught children their letters, and the cross-shaped mark that Christians made on the body. That religious sense was the starting point, and from it the word gradually shed its reference to Christ and came to mean a pattern of intersecting lines. Later the form was reshaped into a reduplication of "cross," with the vowel changed from "cross" to "criss," so the word became a playful doubling of the same root. Crisscrosses is simply the third-person singular form of the verb, used for something that forms or moves in a pattern of crossing lines.

Synonyms: intersects, crosses, interlaces, weaves, intertwines