| boustrophedon |
| Definition:
To write alternately from right to left and then from left to right. Note: This was the writing method used by the ancient Greeks. |
| Usage:
1. Don't use this method when writing your resumé. |
| Etymology: The word derives from the Greek bous, ox + strephein, to turn, which literally means "turning as the ox turns (when plowing)." |
| Oxford English Dictionary: Its first citation is from 1783: "Afterwards, the Greekes adopted a new method, writing their lines alternately from the right to the left, and from the left to the right, which was called Boustrophedon." (Blair Rhet. (1812) I. vii. 155) |