www.alphadictionary.com

Sigogglin is used in parts of Appalachia to mean skewed or off balance. I encountered the word while watching a PBS documentary on Appalachian speech, although I had never heard it used in the SC Piedmont, where I live. Recently, though, I came across a lady from West Virginia who knew it well.

It's pronounced "sigh-gog-lin.

Most definitely an odd word. Here are a couple of pieces that use it that y'all might find of interest:

http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news ... ang_2.html

http://www.columbiamagazine.com/index.php?sid=25463

Thanks for the links. I've never seem the word in print.

Personally, I think it's a great word to describe how someone might walk after spending an hour or so on a barstool.

But it appears in no dictionary, and I don't think anyone knows its origin. Can you offer a bit more help?

Sigogglin is probably archaic, as most of the entries below suggest, but it's interesting that National Geographic would give it a mention. As I said earlier, I have never heard the word in the SC or NC Piedmont, but one of my evening students from West Virginia had no problem defining it for me.

http://www.pbs.org/speak/seatosea/ameri ... s/smokies/
http://www.wordsense.eu/sigogglin/
http://www.columbiamagazine.com/index.php?sid=25463
http://www.dict.cc/english-german/sigogglin.html (claims that the German is "scheif"
http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news ... ang_2.html (suggests that Appalachians make up their own word when they isn't one to suit)

The true etymology is probably hidden somewhere in a paper poke.

Take a look at this video, starting at 3 min, 5 sec.