Etymology

zigzag

zig·zag
Z10I1G2Z10A1G2

Today it means: A line or path that proceeds by sharp turns in alternating directions. Full definition →

French zigzag ← Germanic ← Walloon ziczac
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zigzag · noun, adjective, verb, adverb1

  1. Walloon · derived fromziczac
  2. Germanic · derived from
  3. French · borrowed fromzigzag
  4. English todayzigzag

Attested from 1712. Borrowed from French zigzag (attested from 1662), possibly from a Germanic source via Walloon ziczac (although German Zickzack is attested only from 1703). Also, possibly from the shape of the letter Z, which appears twice in the word. Sense “drunk” from the zigzag movements of a drunk person.

Zigzag · proper noun2

Named after the nearby Zigzag River.

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.