zigzaggerynoun
Factsheet
What does the noun zigzaggery mean?
There is one meaning in OED's entry for the noun zigzaggery. See ‘Meaning & use’ for definition, usage, and quotation evidence.
Entry status
OED is undergoing a continuous programme of revision to modernize and improve definitions. This entry has not yet been fully revised.
How common is the noun zigzaggery?
| 1780 | 0.0039 |
| 1790 | 0.0036 |
| 1800 | 0.0031 |
| 1810 | 0.0027 |
| 1820 | 0.0017 |
| 1830 | 0.0011 |
| 1840 | 0.0012 |
| 1850 | 0.0007 |
| 1860 | 0.0003 |
| 1870 | 0.0004 |
| 1880 | 0.0004 |
| 1890 | 0.0004 |
| 1900 | 0.0005 |
| 1910 | 0.0003 |
| 1920 | 0.0003 |
| 1930 | 0.0003 |
| 1940 | 0.0002 |
| 1950 | 0.0002 |
| 1960 | 0.0002 |
| 1970 | 0.0002 |
| 1980 | 0.0002 |
| 1990 | 0.0002 |
| 2000 | 0.0002 |
| 2010 | 0.0001 |
How is the noun zigzaggery pronounced?
British English
Where does the noun zigzaggery come from?
Earliest known use
mid 1700s
The earliest known use of the noun zigzaggery is in the mid 1700s.
OED's earliest evidence for zigzaggery is from 1761, in the writing of Laurence Sterne, writer and Church of England clergyman.
zigzaggery is formed within English, by derivation.
Etymons: zigzag n., ‑ery suffix.
Nearby entries
- zig, n.1978–
- zig, v.1969–
- Zigeuner, n. & adj.1802–
- Zigeunerin, n.1845–83
- ziggety, int., adj., & adv.1924–
- ziggurat, n.1873–
- zigzag, n., adj., & adv.1712–
- zigzag, v.1777–
- zigzag connection, n.1922–
- zigzagged, adj.1774–
- zigzaggery, n.1761–
- zigzaggy, adj.a1845–
- zigzag machine, n.1952–
- zigzag trefoil, n.1796–
- zig-zig, n.1918–
- Zika, n.1952–
- Zilavka, n.1926–
- zilch, n. & adj.1925–
- zilch, v.1957–
- zill, n.1754–
- zilla, n.1772–
Etymology
Summary
Meaning & use
- 1761–Zigzag course or proceeding (literal and figurative).In first quot. with allusion to zigzag n. A.3a.
- 1761
The transverse zig-zaggery of my father's approaches towards it [sc. his coat pocket].
L. Sterne, Life Tristram Shandy vol. III. iii. 12 - 1797
One of those whimsical beings who hated the zig-zaggery of worldly wisdom.
A. M. Bennett, Beggar Girl vol. III. ix. 238 - 1885
The zigzaggery of the English Foreign Office.
Pall Mall Gazette 31 August 4
- zigzaggery1761–Zigzag course or proceeding (literal and figurative).
- tack1788–figurative and transferred. A zigzag course on land.
- zigzagging1827–
- Major-Mitchelling1900–The action of Major-Mitchell, v.
- zig1978–A movement or direction inclined at an angle to that indicated by zag, n. & adv. & v.
the world movement motion in a certain direction change of direction of movement [nouns] indirectness of course moving in winding course- windinga1387–The action or an act of moving in a curve; turning this way and that in one's course; sinuous course, progress, or movement.
- crankling1598–A twisting or winding in and out.
- crangling1608–42
- indenturinga1632–
- meandering1652–The following of a winding or circuitous course; intricacy or convolution (of thought, speech, etc.); an instance of this. Usually in plural.
- sinuation1653–The act or fact of winding about, or pursuing a winding course.
- serpentinga1684Winding.
- zigzaggery1761–Zigzag course or proceeding (literal and figurative).
- twisting1768–Tortuous course; intricate winding; turning this way and that; figurative evasion, prevarication; also turning aside, or about; rotation.
- zigzagging1827–
- switchbacking1913–
- zigging1977–
Pronunciation
British English
Consonants
- ppea
- ttea
- kkey
- bbuy
- ddye
- ɡguy
- tʃchore
- dʒjay
- ffore
- θthaw
- ssore
- ʃshore
- vvee
- ðthee
- zzee
- ʒbeige
- xloch
- hhay
- llay
- ɬrhingyll
- rray
- wway
- jyore
- mmay
- nnay
- ŋsing
Some consonants can take the function of the vowel in unstressed syllables. Where necessary, a syllabic marker diacritic is used, hence
Vowels
- iːfleece
- ihappy
- ɪkit
- ɛdress
- atrap, bath
- ɑːstart, palm, bath
- ɒlot
- ɔːthought, force
- ʌstrut
- ʊfoot
- uːgoose
- əletter
- əːnurse
- ɪənear
- ɛːsquare
- ʊəcure
- eɪface
- ʌɪpride
- aʊmouth
- əʊgoat
- ɔɪvoice
- ãgratin
- ɒ̃salon
- ᵻ(/ɪ/-/ə/)
- ᵿ(/ʊ/-/ə/)
Other symbols
- The symbol ˈ at the beginning of a syllable indicates that that syllable is pronounced with primary stress.
- The symbol ˌ at the beginning of a syllable indicates that that syllable is pronounced with secondary stress.
- Round brackets ( ) in a transcription indicate that the symbol within the brackets is optional.
View the pronunciation model here.
Frequency
zigzaggery typically occurs fewer than 0.01 times per million words in modern written English.
zigzaggery is in frequency band 1, which contains words occurring fewer than 0.001 times per million words in modern written English. More about OED's frequency bands
Frequency of zigzaggery, n., 1780–2010
* Occurrences per million words in written English
Historical frequency series are derived from Google Books Ngrams (version 2), a data set based on the Google Books corpus of several million books printed in English between 1500 and 2010.
The overall frequency for a given word is calculated by summing frequencies for the main form of the word, any plural or inflected forms, and any major spelling variations.
For sets of homographs (distinct entries that share the same word-form, e.g. mole, n.¹, mole, n.², mole, n.³, etc.), we have estimated the frequency of each homograph entry as a fraction of the total Ngrams frequency for the word-form. This may result in inaccuracies.
Smoothing has been applied to series for lower-frequency words, using a moving-average algorithm. This reduces short-term fluctuations, which may be produced by variability in the content of the Google Books corpus.
| Decade | Frequency per million words |
|---|---|
| 1780 | 0.0039 |
| 1790 | 0.0036 |
| 1800 | 0.0031 |
| 1810 | 0.0027 |
| 1820 | 0.0017 |
| 1830 | 0.0011 |
| 1840 | 0.0012 |
| 1850 | 0.0007 |
| 1860 | 0.0003 |
| 1870 | 0.0004 |
| 1880 | 0.0004 |
| 1890 | 0.0004 |
| 1900 | 0.0005 |
| 1910 | 0.0003 |
| 1920 | 0.0003 |
| 1930 | 0.0003 |
| 1940 | 0.0002 |
| 1950 | 0.0002 |
| 1960 | 0.0002 |
| 1970 | 0.0002 |
| 1980 | 0.0002 |
| 1990 | 0.0002 |
| 2000 | 0.0002 |
| 2010 | 0.0001 |