• see-saw

Probably afrequentativeimitative of rhythmic back-and-forth, up-and-down or zigzagging motion, such asteeter-totter,zigzag,flip-flop,ping pong, etc., under the umbrella term ofreduplication; also likely influenced by the verbssee andsaw of either present or past tense.

• (Received Pronunciation)enPR:sô,IPA^(key):/ˈsiː.sɔː/
  • Rhymes:-iːsɔ
• (US)enPR:sô,IPA^(key):/ˈsi.sɔ/
• (cot–caught merger)enPR:sä,IPA^(key):/ˈsiː.sɑː/

  • Audio(US):

    (file)

  • Rhymes:-iːsɑ

seesaw (pluralseesaws)

1. A structure composed of a plank, balanced in the middle, used as a game in which one person goes up as the other goes down.

   Synonym:teeter-totter

2. A series of up-and-down movements.
3. A series of alternating movements or feelings.
   • 1859–1860,William Hamilton, edited byH[enry] L[ongueville] Mansel andJohn Veitch,Lectures on Metaphysics and Logic […], volume(please specify |volume=I to IV), Edinburgh, London:William Blackwood and Sons,→OCLC:

     He has been arguing in a circle; there is thus asee-saw between the hypothesis and the fact.

   • 2011 November 5, Phil Dawkes, “QPR 2 - 3 Man City”, inBBC Sport‎^[1]:

     Manchester Citykept up their unbeaten start to the Premier League season with victory overQPR in an entertainingsee-saw encounter atLoftus Road.

4. (medicine,attributively) Anabnormalbreathingpattern caused byairwayobstruction, characterized byparadoxicalchest andabdominalmovement.

seesaw (third-person singular simple presentseesaws,present participleseesawing,simple past and past participleseesawed)

1. (intransitive) To use a seesaw.
2. (intransitive, by extension) Tofluctuate.
   • 1971, “All I Want”, inBlue, performed by Joni Mitchell:

     When I think of your kisses / My mindsee-saws

3. (transitive) To cause to move backward and forward in seesaw fashion.
   • 1832,Edward Bulwer-Lytton,Eugene Aram:

     Hesee-saws himself to and fro.

seesaw (comparativemoreseesaw,superlativemostseesaw)

1. fluctuating.

• Weases