bustrófedon

== Spanish == === Alternative forms === bustrofedon, bustrofedón === Etymology === Learned borrowing from Ancient Greek βουστροφηδόν (boustrophēdón, “boustrophedon”, literally “a turning like an ox”), from βοῦς (boûs, “ox”) + στροφή (strophḗ, “turn”), because the direction of writing is like that of an ox when turning while plowing. === Pronunciation === IPA(key): /busˈtɾofedon/ [busˈt̪ɾo.fe.ð̞õn] Rhymes: -ofedon Syllabification: bus‧tró‧fe‧don === Noun === bustrófedon m (uncountable) (epigraphy) boustrophedon (text written such that its direction alternates on each line, resulting in a continuous stream of characters spanning multiple lines; frequently also involving the corresponding alternation of letter directionality using mirrored letters, indicating the direction of the text at any given point) ==== Related terms ==== === Further reading === “bustrófedon”, in Diccionario de la lengua española [Dictionary of the Spanish Language] (in Spanish), online version 23.8.1, Royal Spanish Academy [Spanish: Real Academia Española], 15 December 2025