Word of the Day

: March 18, 2007

sinuous

adjective SIN-yuh-wus

What It Means

1 a : of a serpentine or wavy form : winding

b : marked by strong lithe movements

2 : intricate, complex

sinuous in Context

While flying over the Midwest, I saw a long, sinuous river that wound through fields, farms, and towns as it made its way towards the Gulf of Mexico.

Did You Know?

Although it probably makes you think more of snakes than head colds, "sinuous" is etymologically more like "sinus" than "serpent." "Sinuous" and "sinus" both derive from the Latin noun "sinus," which means "curve, fold, or hollow." Other "sinus" descendents include "insinuate" ("to impart or suggest in an artful or indirect way") and two terms you might remember from math class: "sine" and "cosine." In English, "sinus" is the oldest of these words; it entered the language in the 1400s. "Insinuate" appeared next, in 1529, and was followed by "sinuous" (1578), "sine" (1593), and "cosine" (1635). "Serpent," by the way, entered English in the 13th century and comes from the Latin verb "serpere," meaning "to creep."

*Indicates the sense illustrated by the example sentence.