meanders

Noun

meander (plural meanders)

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. 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 August 1, Enders A. Robinson, Dean Clark, Remote Sensing in Action: The Curious Case of Sherlock Holmes and Albert Einstein, SEG Books, →ISBN, 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

   Synonyms:

   Greek key

5. A self-avoiding closed curve which intersects a line a number of times.
6. (obsolete, possibly) 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

See all 12 meanings of meander