Meanders

Part of speech: verb

Definitions

1. To move along a curving or twisting path ; to walk or move without a fixed direction or purpose
2. To proceed along a serpentine or looping route ; to roam slowly without urgency or a clear goal
3. To flow or proceed with many bends and turns ; to drift or stroll in a leisurely, unplanned manner

Etymology: The river Maiandros, now the Menderes in western Turkey, gave English a word for every kind of wandering path. Its course twists so dramatically across the land that the ancient Greeks made its name a byword for anything that winds back and forth. The Romans took the name as "Maeander," and English borrowed it from Latin, so the river's bends became a way of describing any route that loops and doubles back. The verb "meanders" is the third-person singular form of "meander," so it describes something that moves along in this twisting manner, such as a stream or a walking path that follows no straight line. The word has kept the river's shape at its core, since nothing about the verb suggests haste or direction.

Synonyms: wanders, roams, strolls, drifts, twists

Antonyms: hurries, rushes, dashes, sprints, zooms