Zag

Part of speech: verb

Pronunciation: /zæɡ/

Definitions

1. To change direction suddenly by making sharp turns or angles while moving along a path; to navigate in a non-linear fashion by alternating course; a motion marked by a sequence of abrupt deviations in trajectory
2. To shift course rapidly by making acute turns or angles during movement; to maneuver in a way that involves sudden changes in direction; a motion characterized by a pattern of sharp, angular deviations from a straight line
3. To move by sharply altering course in a zigzag pattern

Etymology: Zag and zig are a pair of words that were born from the same sound and the same motion: a sharp change of direction. Because both words imitate a quick, jerky movement, neither one is easy to trace to a single older root. The word is used as a verb meaning to turn sharply one way and then the other while moving along a path, and the motion it describes is usually short and repeated. Its strength lies in that rhythm: a zag is the answer to a zig, so the two words are always imagined together.

Synonyms: turn, bend, curve, swerve, jink

Antonyms: straight, line