figure-eight

Hello, you have come here looking for the meaning of the word figure-eight. In DICTIOUS you will not only get to know all the dictionary meanings for the word figure-eight, but we will also tell you about its etymology, its characteristics and you will know how to say figure-eight in singular and plural. Everything you need to know about the word figure-eight you have here. The definition of the word figure-eight will help you to be more precise and correct when speaking or writing your texts. Knowing the definition offigure-eight, as well as those of other words, enriches your vocabulary and provides you with more and better linguistic resources.

English

Noun

figure-eight (plural figure-eights)

  1. Alternative form of figure eight
    • 2007, William D. Bandy, Barbara Sanders, Therapeutic Exercise for Physical Therapist Assistants, →ISBN, page 366:
      For example, the figure-eight would now be performed on only half of a basketball court (Fig. 15-1).
    • 2009, Kevin Lane, Fail-Safe for Fallacy, →ISBN, page 19:
      One cloudy day the instructors set me up to ride through a very, very tight figure-eight.
    • 2012, William Steinkraus, Reflections on Riding and Jumping: Winning Techniques for Serious Riders, →ISBN:
      The figure-eight is really no more than two circles in different directions.

Verb

figure-eight (third-person singular simple present figure-eights, present participle figure-eighting, simple past and past participle figure-eighted)

  1. To move or cause to move in a figure eight pattern.
    • 1940, Raymond Chandler, Farewell, My Lovely, Penguin, published 2010, page 61:
      For two minutes we figure-eighted back and forth across the face of the mountain and then popped out right beside the sidewalk café.
    • 1974, Harold Black, Manual of Horsemanship:
      When he has been circled or figure-eighted enough times, he will become convinced that he is not to be asked to take the fence.
    • 1980, Naval Education and Training Program Development Center, Seaman, page 87:
      To prevent the hook from tumbling and coming out of the hoisting eye, a short lanyard on the pea of the counterbalance is figure-eighted around the shank and tip.
    • 2002, Prudence Mackintosh, Retreads, →ISBN, page 59:
      Back and forth across the dim street he gracefully figure-eighted, using only his narrow hips and occasionally one hand to direct the bicycle.