You know the cartoon "Family Circus" when the kid takes a round about path home.
Meandering or stippling is just that but preferably without crossing the lines. Almost like a snake crawling.
You see it done with hand quilting in the applique quilts especially the Baltimore Album quilts. It is a background fill stitch.
Machine quilters find it easy to do and a way to fill the space easily.
Some define stippling as a smaller meander pattern.