meander

name

1. A town in Meander Valley council area, northern Tasmania, Australia.
2. A river in northern Tasmania, which joins the South Esk.

noun

Etymology: From Latin Maeander, from Ancient Greek Μαίανδρος (Maíandros) – a river in Asia Minor (present day Turkey) known for its winding course (modern Turkish Menderes).

1. One of the turns of a winding, crooked, or involved course.

   “the meanders of an old river, or of the veins and arteries in the body”

2. One of a series of regular sinuous curves, bends, loops, turns, or windings in the channel of a river, stream, or other watercourse

   “See, how the streams advancing to the main, / Through crooked channels draw their crystal train! / While lingering thus they in meanders glide, / They scatter verdant life on either side.”

3. A tortuous or winding journey.

   “That journey in the spring of 1891 tracked historical underpinnings of the edifice that Einstein built. Our story will be an extremely interesting mental meander to trace the evolution some of the aspects of relativity theory from the beginning.”

4. Synonym of Greek key, a decorative border; fretwork.

   “The scales are conceived of as meander fretwork; but I do not know whether, for this reason, this fish is associated with thunder.”

   “A chair rail adorned with Chinese fretwork molding was a specific meander that repeated throughout the home. Moldings shaped as cartouches lined each wall,[…]”

5. A self-avoiding closed curve which intersects a line a number of times.
6. A path on which the directions, distances, and elevations are noted, as a part of a land survey.

   “Markings on Meander Corners. On all meander corners, the letters “M. C.” ( for meander corner) will be cut into the side facing the stream or lake to be meandered. On post or tree meander corners, within township exteriors[…]”

   “And as to the lands that were within the national meander boundaries, that description was based upon a state survey?”

7. A decorative border consisting of a repeated linear motif, particularly of intersecting perpendicular lines.

verb

Etymology: From Latin Maeander, from Ancient Greek Μαίανδρος (Maíandros) – a river in Asia Minor (present day Turkey) known for its winding course (modern Turkish Menderes).

1. To wind or turn in a course or passage

   “The stream meandered through the valley.”

   “Instead of a rivulet meandering downwards, there was a foaming brown torrent racing over the ledge, carrying down great loose stones with it and falling with a loud roar far down into the unseen chasm below.”

2. To be intricate.

   “His speech meandered through various topics.”

3. To wind, turn, or twist; to make flexuous.

   “Her labyrinth-like ţurns, and mad meander'd trace[…]”