Zig

Part of speech: verb

Pronunciation: /zɪɡ/

Definitions

1. A sharp turn or angle in one direction, typically followed by a turn in the opposite direction
2. A sudden change in direction, often alternating back and forth, can describe a movement that is not linear or straightforward
3. This term refers to a movement characterized by sharp turns or angles in alternating directions

Etymology: "Zig" is a back-formation from "zigzag," meaning that speakers took the shorter-looking word and split it into a base form by removing the supposed suffix. In "zigzag," the repeated pattern made the two halves look like a verb and its partner, so the first half was lifted out and given a sense of its own: a sharp, quick turn in one direction. The partner, "zag," was produced the same way and means a turn in the opposite direction, so the two words still mirror each other in use, as in "to zig when you should have zagged." Because the pair was built from a single compound, neither word has an older root of its own to trace. The original "zigzag" was a rhythmic, reduplicated coinage, and the separate verb grew out of that shape rather than from any earlier borrowed term.

Synonyms: swerve, turn

Antonyms: straighten, continue