Definition

Noun: 1. An ancient style of writing: A method of writing in which the direction of the script alternates with each line. One line is written from left to right, and the next line is written from right to left, and so on. The term is derived from the Greek for "as the ox turns" in plowing a field, describing this back-and-forth pattern.

Usage

• As a subject: was common in several ancient inscriptions.
• As an object: Scholars study to understand early writing systems.
• With a modifier: The script on the artifact was remarkably preserved.

Examples

• The ancient tablet was inscribed in , making it a challenge for modern readers to follow.
• Some early Greek texts used before the standardized left-to-right direction was adopted.
• The term perfectly describes the plow-like, alternating path of the writing.

Advanced Usage

• Used descriptively: The word can be used as a noun modifier to describe other things with a similar alternating pattern.
  • The printer created a boustrophedon pattern of text for the artistic poster.
• In computing: Occasionally used metaphorically in computer science or data formatting to describe bidirectional or alternating scanning patterns.

Variants and Related Words

• Boustrophedonic (adjective): Pertaining to or written in boustrophedon.
  • The boustrophedonic arrangement of the symbols was unique.

Synonyms

• Alternating-direction writing: A descriptive synonym.
• Ox-turn writing: A literal translation of the Greek origin.

Notes on Meaning

• The word refers specifically to the physical direction of the characters on a surface, not to a change in language or a mirror image of the letters. The individual characters themselves may also be mirrored in the right-to-left lines.
• It is primarily a technical term used in archaeology, epigraphy (the study of inscriptions), and paleography (the study of ancient writing).

Noun

1. an ancient writing system: having alternate lines written in opposite directions; literally `as the ox ploughs'