seesaw
noun
- long, narrow board pivoted in the middle
verb
- to teeter or move up and down (as on a seesaw)
Wiktionary
Pronunciation: /ˈsiː.sɔː/ / /ˈsi.sɔ/ / /ˈsiː.sɑː/
adj
Etymology: Probably a frequentative imitative of rhythmic back-and-forth, up-and-down or zigzagging motion, such as teeter-totter, zigzag, flip-flop, ping pong, etc., under the umbrella term of reduplication; also likely influenced by the verbs see and saw of either present or past tense.
- Fluctuating.
noun
Etymology: Probably a frequentative imitative of rhythmic back-and-forth, up-and-down or zigzagging motion, such as teeter-totter, zigzag, flip-flop, ping pong, etc., under the umbrella term of reduplication; also likely influenced by the verbs see and saw of either present or past tense.
- A structure composed of a plank, balanced in the middle, used as a game in which one person goes up as the other goes down.
- A series of up-and-down movements.
- A series of alternating movements or feelings.
“He has been arguing in a circle; there is thus a see-saw between the hypothesis and the fact.”
“Manchester Citykept up their unbeaten start to the Premier League season with victory over QPR in an entertaining see-saw encounter at Loftus Road.”
- An abnormal breathing pattern caused by airway obstruction, characterized by paradoxical chest and abdominal movement.
- A tactic in which a piece repeatedly gains material, while simultaneously creating an inescapable series of alternating direct and discovered checks.
verb
Etymology: Probably a frequentative imitative of rhythmic back-and-forth, up-and-down or zigzagging motion, such as teeter-totter, zigzag, flip-flop, ping pong, etc., under the umbrella term of reduplication; also likely influenced by the verbs see and saw of either present or past tense.
- To use a seesaw.
- To fluctuate.
“When I think of your kisses / My mind see-saws”
- To cause to move backward and forward in a seesaw fashion.
“He see-saws himself to and fro.”