meander

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).

noun

1. (often plural) 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. (geography) 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. 1712, Sir Richard Blackmore, Creation: A Philosophical Poem
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. 2014-08-01, Enders A. Robinson, Dean Clark, Remote Sensing in Action: The Curious Case of Sherlock Holmes and Albert Einstein, SEG Books, page 30
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. 1912, Field Museum of Natural History, Anthropological Series, page 227
   A chair rail adorned with Chinese fretwork molding was a specific meander that repeated throughout the home. Moldings shaped as cartouches lined each wall,[…] 2008, Todd Merrill, James Mont: The King Cole Penthouse, Lulu.com
5. (mathematics) A self-avoiding closed curve which intersects a line a number of times.
6. (possibly obsolete) 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[…] 1894, United States Bureau of Land Management, Manual of Surveying Instructions for the Survey of the Public Lands of the United States and Private Land Claims, page 44
   And as to the lands that were within the national meander boundaries, that description was based upon a state survey? 1911, United States House Committee on Public Lands, Providing for Appeals from Decisions of the Interior Department in Land Matters: Hearing Held Before the Committee on the Public Lands of the House Representatives, June 22, 1910, on H.R. 27071, "To Provide for Appeals from Decisions of the Secretary of the Interior to the Court of Appeals of the District of Columbia, and for Other Purposes.", page 56

verb

1. (intransitive) 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. 1881, Edwin Lester Arnold, On the Indian Hills
   I'd forgotten how scenic parts of the line are - the railway crosses a host of streams while meandering through meadows or skirting woodland. November 18 2020, Paul Bigland, “New infrastructure and new rolling stock”, in Rail, page 51
2. (intransitive) To be intricate.
   His speech meandered through various topics.
3. (transitive) To wind, turn, or twist; to make flexuous.