boustrophedon
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boustrophedon
- /ˌbuːstɹəˈfiːdən/
Rhymes with -iːdən
Where it comes from
PIE word
*gʷṓws
Etymology tree
Proto-Indo-European *gʷṓws
Proto-Hellenic *gʷous
Ancient Greek βοῦς (boûs)
Proto-Indo-European *stregʷʰ-der.?
Ancient Greek στρέφω (stréphō)
Proto-Indo-European *-h₂
Proto-Indo-European *-éh₂
Proto-Hellenic *-ā́
Ancient Greek -ᾱ (-ā)
Ancient Greek -η (-ē)
Ancient Greek στροφή (strophḗ)
Ancient Greek -ηδόν (-ēdón)
Ancient Greek βουστροφηδόν (boustrophēdón)lbor.
English boustrophedon
Learned borrowing from Ancient Greek βουστροφηδόν (boustrophēdón, adverb, literally “turning like an ox”), from βοῦς (boûs, “ox”) + στροφή (strophḗ, “turning”) + -ηδόν (-ēdón, adverbial suffix), in reference to the back-and-forth course traced by boustrophedon text resembling the path taken by an ox ploughing a field.
noun boustrophedons · bustrophedon
- Text written such that its direction alternates on each line, resulting in a continuous stream of characters spanning multiple lines; frequently also involving the corresponding alternation of letter directionality using mirrored letters, indicating the direction of the text at any given point. The number of Attic boustrophedon texts is fairly small; most of those just cited have been brought down by the experts to a date close to 550 B.C., a date to which several texts of more than one line inscribed left to right may also be assigned (cf. pp.56—57 infra), besides the four-line retrograde
adjective bustrophedon
-
Synonym of boustrophedonic (“written as a boustrophedon”).
Similar: boustrophedonic
adverb bustrophedon
-
Synonym of boustrophedonically (“as a boustrophedon or in a boustrophedonic manner”).
Similar: boustrophedonically
Translations
Every language
noun text written such that its direction alternates on each line
| Español | bustrófedon, bustrofedon, bustrofedón |
|---|---|
| 日本語 | 牛耕式 gyūkōshiki |
| हिन्दी | सर्पलेखन sarpalekhan |
| Português | bustrofédon |
| Français | boustrophédon |
| Deutsch | Bustrophedon, Boustrophedon |
| Română | bustrofedon |
| Русский | бустрофедо́н bustrofedón |
| العربية | بُطْرُفَة buṭrufa |
Talk about this word "boustrophedon." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/boustrophedon. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026. boustrophedon. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/boustrophedon "boustrophedon." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/boustrophedon.Cite this
@misc{boustrophedon_2026,
title = {boustrophedon},
howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
year = {2026},
url = {https://micwyn.com/word/boustrophedon},
urldate = {2026-11-06}
}
