Meander (noun, verb)
Pronunciation: [mee-'æn-dê(r)]
Definition: A loop in a river or stream or a series of such loops; a winding, convolute course or path. v. 蜿蜒而流; 漫步
Usage: The interesting aspect of today's lovely word is that the verb "to meander" is derived from the noun. That may surprise many, since the verb is used far more frequently today than the noun, e.g. a meandering brook or the boy meandered aimlessly through the woods. The adjective is meandrous "full of meanders," as a meandrous path leading to the river.
Suggested Usage: The shortest distance between two points is a straight line but the most interesting route must include meanders: "What she called a 'road' was a string of meanders strewn carelessly down the mountainside." Fortunately, we live in a wondrously meandrous world: "The rain had left her hair a tangle of disconnected meanders leading nowhere."
Etymology: Today's word comes from Latin "maeander," borrowed from Greek Maiandros, the name of the river that flowed a winding course between Lydia and Caria, through Ionia and Phrygia, now western Turkey, and emptied into the Aegean Sea near Miletus. It is now known as the Menderes.
Verb
1. (of a river, road, etc.) to follow a winding course
2. to wander without definite aim or direction (Synonyms: wander)
Noun
1. a curve or bend, as in a river [Greek Maiandros the River Maeander]
2. an aimless amble on a winding course (Synonyms: ramble)
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