1. a method of writing in which lines alternate in direction, running left-to-right and then right-to-left, used in ancient Greek and other early writing systems.
Usage: historical; technical

1. written or arranged in the boustrophedon manner, with alternating line directions.
Usage: historical; technical

Examples

• Ancient Greek inscriptions sometimes used boustrophedon, making them easier to read continuously without lifting the eye.
• The boustrophedon style of writing resembles the path of an ox plowing a field, moving back and forth across the page.
• Scholars studying early Greek texts must learn to read boustrophedon inscriptions, which reverse direction on each line.
• The word boustrophedon comes from Greek words meaning 'ox' and 'turn,' reflecting the back-and-forth motion of plowing.
• Some ancient Etruscan texts employed a boustrophedon layout to maximize space and readability on stone tablets.