seesaw

noun
/ˈsiː.sɔː/UK/ˈsi.sɔ/US/ˈsiː.sɑː/

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.

Definitions

  1. A structure composed of a plank, balanced in the middle, used as a game in which one…

    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.

  2. A series of up-and-down movements.

  3. 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.
  4. + 6 more definitions
    1. An abnormal breathing pattern caused by airway obstruction, characterized by paradoxical…

      An abnormal breathing pattern caused by airway obstruction, characterized by paradoxical chest and abdominal movement.

    2. A tactic in which a piece repeatedly gains material, while simultaneously creating an…

      A tactic in which a piece repeatedly gains material, while simultaneously creating an inescapable series of alternating direct and discovered checks.

    3. To use a seesaw.

    4. To fluctuate.

      • When I think of your kisses / My mind see-saws
    5. To cause to move backward and forward in a seesaw fashion.

      • He see-saws himself to and fro.
    6. Fluctuating.

The neighborhood

Vish — recursive loop

No curated loop yet for seesaw. Loops are being traced one word at a time while the ingestion pipeline matures.

sense glosses and etymology drawn from English Wiktionary · source · CC-BY-SA