1. A method of writing in which lines alternate direction, running left-to-right on one line and right-to-left on the next, like the path of an ox plowing a field.
Usage: plural of boustrophedon; historical; used in ancient Greek and other early writing systems; from Greek bous (ox) + strophe (turn)

Examples

• Ancient Greek inscriptions sometimes employed boustrophedons to save space on stone monuments.
• The boustrophedons writing style made texts easier to read continuously without lifting the eye.
• Scholars study boustrophedons to understand how early civilizations organized written language.
• Some Etruscan texts used boustrophedons, alternating the direction of each line.
• The discovery of boustrophedons in archaeological sites reveals much about ancient literacy practices.