Origin of seesaw
1630–40 as part of a jingle accompanying a children's game; gradational compound based on
saw1
regional variation note for seesaw
Although
seesaw (def. 2) is the most widely used term in the U.S.,
teetertotter is also in wide use in the Northern, North Midland, and Western regions.
Tilting board and its variants
tilt board and
tiltering board are New Eng. terms, especially Eastern New Eng., while
tinter and its variant
teenter are associated with Western New Eng.
Words nearby seesaw
seepage pit,
seepy,
seer,
seeress,
seersucker,
seesaw,
seethe,
seething,
sefer,
sefer torah,
seferiades
Example sentences from the Web for seesaw
British Dictionary definitions for seesaw
seesaw
/ (ˈsiːˌsɔː) /
noun
a plank balanced in the middle so that two people seated on the ends can ride up and down by pushing on the ground with their feet
the pastime of riding up and down on a seesaw
- an up-and-down or back-and-forth movement
- (as modifier)a seesaw movement
verb
(intr)
to move up and down or back and forth in such a manner; oscillate
Word Origin for seesaw
C17: reduplication of
saw
1, alluding to the movement from side to side, as in sawing