seesaw
UK[ˈsiː.sɔː]US[ˈsiː.sɑː]
n
A long plank balanced in the middle on a fixed support, on which children sit at opposite ends and move up and down by pushing the ground with their feet.
n
A situation or process characterized by repeated movement back and forth between two states or positions.
v
To keep changing from one state, position, or condition to another and back again.
Etymology
The word 'seesaw' is a vivid example of reduplication, formed by the repetition and alteration of the verb 'saw'. This formation imitates the rhythmic back-and-forth motion of the tool, as the action of sawing wood involves a similar repetitive to-and-fro movement. The term was then applied by analogy to the playground equipment, perfectly capturing its oscillating motion. This etymological journey from a tool's action to a child's plaything demonstrates how language creatively uses sound symbolism and metaphorical extension to name new concepts.
Analysis
The word is a reduplication, a linguistic process where a word or element is repeated with slight variation. It is not productively built from separate, independent morphemes in modern English.
Examples
The children laughed as they played on the seesaw in the park.
The lead in the election has seesawed between the two candidates for weeks.
Their relationship has been on an emotional seesaw lately.