"From the open back door of the office a well-worn path meandered across the grassy lot to the court-house. "

We have seen this word several times. The Meander River was in what is now Turkey, and had the alternating bends which gave rise to the word.
Question: is this a form of eponym?
Can you think of another word that originated in a similar way?
For pictures of a meandering river:
http://sts.gsc.nrcan.gc.ca/clf/landscapes_details.asp?numero=848

Delta. Greek letter to Nile Delta to river deltas in general.

Bingley

Yeahbut®, even as the meaning of 'delta'<=>"the change within" is descriptive of the reality, the shape (a tall triangle) is a figuration of a river's *delta. Did the real thing beget the figure that now represents all conceptions which appear similar to that original form? Are there any corners on this circle?

I'm sorry musick, but I really have no idea what you're trying to say.

Bingley

have no idea what you're trying to say

You're doing better than most, then, Bingley.

OK, clockwise, then.

It seems to me as if 'delta', the letter, was conceived to stand for delta's (or what they *do to a river) in general. The Nile may or may not have been the inspiration for the shape, but I'll take your word for it.

*****

You're doing better than most, then, Bingley.

Please remain seated until the plane comes to a complete stop.

I think we've discussed this before. The name of the letter came first (ultimately from a semitic daleth meaning door). It was written in Greek with the familiar triangular shape. Somebody (I don't know who) looked at the mouth of the Nile and said "It's delta-shaped" and the name stuck, and then spread to other rivers.

Bingley

It is a bit surprising that they were able to recognize the shape of anything so huge and so hard to travel over, with the primitive instruments at their disposal.

surprising that they were able to recognize the shape of anything so huge

Good point, Dr Bill. Do we know that the ancients called these things deltas? Perhpas our resident chair of things ancient Greek and Roman could tell us.

The earliest citation the LSJ gives for Delta in this sense is in Herodotus (430s BC).
http://makeashorterlink.com/?S2A9650E6

The Greek says: to\ kaleo/menon *de/lta -- the Delta as it is called.

Bingley

So once again the ancients gently point out to us that we're not such hot stuff after all.

Bingley; Thanks to both of you
So, how did meander get its association with deliberate purposelessness?

Dear maahey: If you look at the picture of a meandering river, the curves are broad and haphazard, and go a long ways making only a little progress.