Etymology dictionary
Z
Z — zoography (n.)
Z
not a native letter in Old English; in Anglo-French words it represents the "ts" sound (as in Anglo-French fiz, from Latin filius, modern Fitz); from late 13c. it began to be used for the voiced "s" sound and had fully taken that role by 1400. For letter name, see zed.
Series of zs to represent a buzzing sound first attested 1852; zees "spell of sleep, a nap" is slang first recorded 1963, American English student slang.
za (n.)
U.S. student slang shortening of pizza, attested from 1968.
Zacchaeus
masc. proper name, from Late Latin Zacchaeus, from Greek Zakkhaios, from Hebrew zakkay, literally "pure, innocent," from zakhah "was clean, was pure."
Zachariah
masc. proper name, Late Latin Zacharias, from Greek Zakharias, from Hebrew Zekharyahu, literally "the Lord has remembered," from zakhar "he remembered." Shortened familiarly to Zack or Zach.
zaftig (adj.)
"alluringly plump, curvaceous, buxom," 1937, from Yiddish zaftik, literally "juicy," from zaft "juice," from Middle High German saft "juice" (see sap (n.1)).
zag (v.)
1793, from zig-zag (q.v.).
zaibatsu
1937, from Japanese zaibatsu, from zai "wealth" + batzu "clique."
Zaire
African nation (1971-1997), from an early alternative name of the Congo River, from Kikongo nzai, dialectal form of nzadi "river."
zakat (n.)
obligatory Islamic tax for religious purposes, 1802, from Persian zakat, etc., from Arabic zakah.
Zamboni (n.)
proprietary name of a machine used to resurface ice skating rinks, 1957, trademark of Frank J. Zamboni & Co., Paramount, Calif.
zany (adj.)
1610s, from zany (n.). Related: Zanily; zaniness.
zany (n.)
comic performer, 1580s, from French zani, from Italian zani, zanni "a zany, clown," originally Zanni, Venetian dialect variant of Gianni, pet form of Giovanni "John;" thus equivalent to English Jack. A stock character in old comedies, he aped the principal actors.
Zanzibar
island off East Africa, from Zengi, name of a local people, said to mean "black," + Arabic barr "coast, shore." Related: Zanzibari.
zap
1929 as a sound, 1942 as a verb; a comic strip word (especially from "Buck Rogers in the Twenty-Fifth Century"), of imitative origin. Meaning "erase electronically" is 1982. Related: Zapped; zapping.
zapper (n.)
electrical pest-killer, 1970, from zap.
Zarathustra
from Avestan Zarathushtra (see Zoroastrian). Related: Zarathustrian.
zarf (n.)
"holder for a coffee cup," 1836, from Arabic zarf "vessel."
zeal (n.)
"passionate ardor in pursuit of an objective or course of action," late 14c., from Old French zel (Modern French zèle) and directly from Late Latin zelus "zeal, emulation" (source also of Italian zelo, Spanish celo), a Church word, from Greek zēlos "ardor, eager rivalry, emulation," "a noble passion" [Liddell & Scott], but also "jealousy;" from PIE *ya- "to seek, request, desire." From mid-15c. as "devotion."
zealot (n.)
early 14c., "member of a militant 1st century Jewish sect which fiercely resisted the Romans in Palestine," from Late Latin zelotes, from Greek zēlōtēs "one who is a zealous follower," from zēloōn "to be zealous," from zēlos "zeal" (see zeal). Extended sense of "a fanatical enthusiast" first recorded 1630s (earlier in this sense was zelator, mid-15c.).
zealotry (n.)
"excessive or undue zeal, fanaticism," 1650s, from zealot + -ry.
zealous (adj.)
"full of zeal" (in the service of a person or cause), 1520s, from Medieval Latin zelosus "full of zeal" (source of Italian zeloso, Spanish celoso), from zelus (see zeal). The sense "fervent, inspired" was earlier in English in jealous (late 14c.), which is the same word but come up through French. Related: Zealously, zealousness.
zebra (n.)
c. 1600, from Italian zebra, perhaps via Portuguese, earlier applied to a now-extinct wild ass, of uncertain origin, said to be Congolese [OED], or Amharic [Klein], but perhaps ultimately from Latin equiferus "wild horse," from equus "horse" (see equine) + ferus (see fierce). Related: Zebrine; zebroid.
zebu (n.)
Asiatic ox, 1774, from French zebu, ultimately of Tibetan origin. First shown in Europe at the Paris fair of 1752.
Zebulon
masc. proper name, Biblical son of Jacob by Leah, from Hebrew Zebhulun, from zebhul "a dwelling" + diminutive suffix -on (see Genesis xxx.20).
Zechariah
masc. proper name, Biblical 11th of the Twelve Prophets; see Zachariah.
zed (n.)
"the name of the letter Z in the alphabet," c. 1400, probably from Old French zede, from Late Latin zeta, from Greek zēta, from Hebrew zayin, letter name, literally "weapon;" so called in reference to the shape of this letter in ancient Hebrew. U.S. pronunciation zee is first attested 1670s. Other dialectal names for the letter are izzard, ezod, uzzard, and zod.
zee (n.)
"the letter Z," 1670s, now more common in American English.
zein (n.)
simple protein obtained from maize and wheat, 1822, from zea, Late Latin name for "spelt," from Greek zeia "one-seeded wheat, barley, corn" (from PIE root *yewo-) + -in (2).
Zeiss (adj.)
in reference to spy-glasses or binoculars, 1905, from the firm founded by German optical instrument manufacturer Carl Zeiss (1816-1888).
zeitgeist (n.)
1848, from German Zeitgeist (Herder, 1769), "spirit of the age," literally "time-spirit," from Zeit "time" (from Proto-Germanic *tidiz "division of time," from PIE root *da- "to divide") + Geist "spirit" (see ghost (n.)). Carlyle has it as a German word in "Sartor Resartus" (1840) and translates it as "Time-Spirit."
zek (n.)
"Russian condemned person in a prison or labor camp," 1968, from Russian zek, probably representing a vocalization of z/k, abbreviation of zaklyuchennyi "prisoner."
Zen (n.)
school of Mahayana Buddhism, 1727, from Japanese, from Chinese ch'an, ultimately from Sanskrit dhyana "thought, meditation," from PIE root *dheie- "to see, look" (source also of Greek sēma "sign, mark, token;" see semantic). As an adjective from 1881.
Zend (n.)
1715, "Parsee sacred book" (in full, Zend-Avesta, 1620s), from Old Persian zend, from Pahlavi zand "commentary," from Avestan zainti- "knowledge," from PIE root *gno- "to know." First used 1771 in reference to the language of the Zend-Avesta by French scholar Abraham Hyacinthe Anquetil-Duperron (1731-1805).
zenith (n.)
"point of the heavens directly overhead at any place," late 14c., from Old French cenith (Modern French zénith), from Medieval Latin cenit, senit, bungled scribal transliterations of Arabic samt "road, path," abbreviation of samt ar-ras, literally "the way over the head." Letter -m- misread as -ni-.
The Medieval Latin word could as well be influenced by the rough agreement of the Arabic term with classical Latin semita "sidetrack, side path" (notion of "thing going off to the side"), from se- "apart" + *mi-ta-, a suffixed form of PIE root *mei- (1) "to change, go, move." Figurative sense of "highest point or state" is from c. 1600.
zeno-
late 20c. word-forming element used in reference to the planet Jupiter, from Greek zeno-, combining form from Zeus (see Zeus; also compare Zenobia).
Zenobia
fem. proper name, from Greek Zenobia, literally "the force of Zeus," from Zen, collateral form of Zeus, + bia "strength, force," cognate with Sanskrit jya "force, power" (see Jain).
Zenonian (adj.)
1843, pertaining to one of two Greek thinkers: Zeno of Elea ("Zeno of the Paradoxes," 5c. B.C.E.), who disproved the possibility of motion; and Zeno of Citium (c. 300 B.C.E.), founder of stoicism.
zep (n.)
abbreviation of zeppelin, attested by 1915.
Zephaniah
masc. proper name, Biblical ninth of the prophets, from Hebrew Tzephanyah "the Lord has hidden."
zephyr (n.)
mid-14c., from Old English Zefferus, from Latin Zephyrus (source also of French zéphire, Spanish zefiro, Italian zeffiro), from Greek Zephyros "the west wind" (sometimes personified as a god), probably related to zophos "the west, the dark region, darkness, gloom." Extended sense of "mild breeze" is c. 1600. Related: Zephyrean.
zeppelin (n.)
1900, from German Zeppelin, short for Zeppelinschiff "Zeppelin ship," after Count Ferdinand von Zeppelin (1838-1917), German general who perfected its design. Compare blimp. Related: Zeppelinous.
zero (n.)
"figure which stands for naught in the Arabic notation," also "the absence of all quantity considered as quantity," c. 1600, from French zéro or directly from Italian zero, from Medieval Latin zephirum, from Arabic sifr "cipher," translation of Sanskrit sunya-m "empty place, desert, naught" (see cipher (n.)).
A brief history of the invention of "zero" can be found here. Meaning "worthless person" is recorded from 1813. As an adjective from 1810. Zero tolerance first recorded 1972, originally U.S. political language. Zero-sum in game theory is from 1944 (von Neumann), indicating that if one player wins X amount the other or others must lose X amount.
zero (v.)
in zero in, 1944, from zero (n.); the image is from instrument adjustment to a setting of "zero" (1909 in this sense, originally in rifle-shooting). Related: Zeroed; zeroing.
zest (n.)
1670s, from French zeste "piece of orange or lemon peel used as a flavoring," of unknown origin. Sense of "thing that adds flavor" is 1709; that of "keen enjoyment" first attested 1791.
zestful (adj.)
1797, from zest + -ful. Related: Zestfully; zestfulness.
zesty (adj.)
1789, from zest + -y (2). Related: Zestily; zestiness.
zeta (n.)
sixth letter of the Greek alphabet; see zed.
zetetic (adj.)
"proceeding by inquiry," 1640s, from Modern Latin zeteticus, from Greek zetetikos "searching, inquiring," from zetetos, verbal adjective of zetein "seek for, inquire into." Related: Zetetical.
Zeus
supreme god of the ancient Greeks and master of the others, 1706, from Greek, from PIE *dewos- "god" (source also of Latin deus "god," Old Persian daiva- "demon, evil god," Old Church Slavonic deivai, Sanskrit deva-), from root *dyeu- "to shine," in derivatives "sky, heaven, god." The god-sense is originally "shining," but "whether as originally sun-god or as lightener" is not now clear.
zeugma (n.)
1580s, "a single word (usually a verb or adjective) made to refer to two or more nouns in a sentence" (but properly applying to only one of them), from Greek zeugma, "a zeugma; that which is used for joining; boat bridge," literally "a yoking," from zeugnynai "to yoke" (from PIE root *yeug- "to join").
Ziegfeld
in reference to showgirls or stage revues, 1913, from Florenz Ziegfeld (1869-1932), U.S. theatrical producer, who staged annual "follies" from 1907-1931.
zig (v.)
1969, from zig-zag.
ziggurat (n.)
also zikkurat, 1858, from Assyrian ziqquratu "height, pinnacle," from zaqaru "to be high."
zig-zag (n.)
also zigzag, 1712, from French zigzag (1670s), perhaps from German Zickzack (though this is attested only from 1703), possibly a reduplication of Zacke "tooth, prong." Earliest use in German is in reference to military siege approaches. Originally in English used to describe the layout of certain garden paths. As an adjective from 1750; the verb is recorded from 1774. The brand of cigarette paper is from 1909. Related: Zig-zagged; zig-zagging.
Zika (n.)
virus, by 1952, discovered 1947 and named for the Zika Forest of Uganda, where it was first found.
zilch (n.)
"nothing," 1957; "insignificant person," 1933, from use of Zilch as a generic comical-sounding surname for an insignificant person (especially Joe Zilch). There was a Mr. Zilch (1931), comic character in the magazine "Ballyhoo," and the use perhaps originated c. 1922 in U.S. college or theater slang. Probably a nonsense syllable, suggestive of the end of the alphabet, but Zilch is an actual German surname of Slavic origin.
zill (n.)
"brass finger cymbal used (four at a time) by belly-dancers in certain performances," by 1976, from Turkish zil "cymbal." Related: Zills.
zillion (n.)
by 1916, arbitrary humorous coinage with no definite numerical value; a 1922 representation of youthful exaggeration in a magazine story has billion-rillion-zillion years. Compare jillion, gazillion.
Zimbabwe
southern African nation, 1980, named for an ancient city there, from Bantu zimba we bahwe "houses of stones," from zimba, plural of imba "house" + bahwe "stones." Previously known as Rhodesia (1964-80). Related: Zimbabwean.
zinc (n.)
1650s, zinke, from German Zink, perhaps related to Zinke "prong, point;" said to have been used first by Paracelsus (c. 1526) on analogy of the form of its crystals after smelting. Zinke is from Old High German zint "a point, jag," from Proto-Germanic *teng- "tine" (source also of Old Norse tindr "point, top, summit," Old English tind "prong, spike"), from PIE *denk- "to bite." Spelling with -c- is from 1813, from French influence.
zine (n.)
1965, short for fanzine.
zinfandel (n.)
1896, "red or white dry California wine," origin uncertain; used earlier as the name of the grape from which it was made (1880). The wine itself is said to have been known in U.S. since 1829. Some wine experts suggest a corruption of the Austrian grape name Zierfandler, though these grapes are not related to those of zinfandel. According to a now-extinct internet article (formerly at http://ww3.stratsplace.com/):
zing (n.)
1911, "high pitched sound," of echoic origin. Slang meaning "energy, zest" is attested from 1918. Verb is from 1920; meaning "to deliver a stinging witticism or retort" is by 1975.
zinger (n.)
"cruel quip," 1970, from zing + -er (1). Earlier it was baseball slang for "fastball" (by 1957).
zinnia (n.)
genus of herbs of the aster family, 1767, from Modern Latin (Linnæus, 1763), named for German botanist Johann Gottfried Zinn (1729-1759) + abstract noun ending -ia.
Zion
late Old English Sion, from Greek Seon, from Hebrew Tsiyon, name of a Canaanite hill fortress in Jerusalem captured by David and called in the Bible "City of David." It became the center of Jewish life and worship.
Zionism (n.)
1896, "movement for forming (later supporting) a Jewish national state in Palestine," from German Zionismus (from Zion + Latin-derived suffix -ismus; see -ism); the German word is first attested 1886 in "Selbstemancipation," by "Matthias Acher" (pseudonym of Nathan Birnbaum (1864-1937)).
Zionist
1896 (adj. and noun), from Zion + -ist.
zip (v.1)
"move rapidly," 1852, of echoic origin. Meaning "close with a zipper" is from 1932. Related: Zipped; zipping.
zip (v.2)
"to close or fasten by means of a zipper," 1932, back-formation from zipper (n.). Related: Zipped; zipping; zipless.
ZIP (adj.)
1963, in U.S. postal ZIP code, an acronym for Zone Improvement Plan, no doubt chosen with conscious echo of zip (v.1). Alternative post code is attested by 1967 in Australia.
zip (n.1)
"sound of something moving rapidly," 1875, imitative. Zip gun "homemade pistol" is attested by 1950.
zip (n.2)
"zero," 1900, student slang for a grade of zero on a test, etc.; of unknown origin; compare zilch.
zipper (n.)
1925, probably an agent noun from zip (v.1). The trademark taken out on the name that year applied to a boot with zippers, not to the "lightning fastener" itself, which was so called by 1927.
zippy (adj.)
1904, from zip (n.) "energy, force" (1900, from zip (v.1)) + -y (2).
Zippo (n.)
proprietary name of a brand of cigarette lighter, patented 1934 by Zippo Manufacturing Co., Bradford, Pa.
zircon (n.)
1794, circon, also jargon, new name given in chemistry to jacinth, from German Zirkon (Klaproth, 1789), which probably is from 18c. French jargon, a vague mineral word used of high-quality diamond-like gemstones; it has been traced to Medieval Latin jargonce, which is of uncertain origin. Compare Italian giargone, from the same source.
zirconium (n.)
metallic chemical element, 1808, coined in Modern Latin by German chemist and mineralogist Martin Heinrich Klaproth (1743-1817) in 1789; so called because it was found in zircon.
zit (n.)
"acne pimple," 1966, originally U.S. teenager slang, of unknown origin.
zither (n.)
stringed musical instrument, 1850, from German Zither, from Old High German zitara, from Latin cithara, from Greek kithara (see guitar).
ziti (n.)
type of tubular pasta, plural of zita (1845), from Italian, said to be a dialect word for "bridegroom."
zloty (n.)
monetary unit of Poland, 1842, from Polish złoty, literally "of gold," from złoto "gold," related to Russian zoloto, Czech zlato "gold," from suffixed form of PIE root *ghel- (2) "to shine," with derivatives denoting gold (the "bright" metal); see gold.
zoa (n.)
plural of zoon (q.v.).
zoanthropy (n.)
form of insanity in which a man imagines himself to be another type of beast, 1845, from French zoanthrope or directly from Modern Latin zoanthropia, from Greek zoion "animal" (from PIE root *gwei- "to live") + anthrōpos "man" (see anthropo-).
zodiac (n.)
late 14c., from Old French zodiaque, from Latin zodiacus "zodiac," from Greek zodiakos (kyklos) "zodiac (circle)," literally "circle of little animals," from zodiaion, diminutive of zoion "animal" (from PIE root *gwei- "to live").
Libra is not an animal, but it was not a zodiac constellation to the Greeks, who reckoned 11 but counted Scorpio and its claws (including what is now Libra) as a "double constellation." Libra was figured back in by the Romans. In Old English the zodiac was twelf tacna "the twelve signs," and in Middle English also Our Ladye's Waye and the Girdle of the Sky.
zodiacal (adj.)
Zoe
fem. proper name, Greek, literally "life," from PIE root *gwei- "to live."
zoetrope (n.)
"optical instrument which exhibits pictures as if alive and in action," 1867, literally "wheel of life," from Greek zoe "life" (from PIE root *gwei- "to live") + trope "a turn" (from PIE root *trep- "to turn").
Zohar (n.)
Jewish mystical commentary on the Pentateuch, 1680s, Hebrew, literally "light, splendor."
zoic (adj.)
"pertaining to animal life," 1863, from Greek zoikos, from zoion "animal," from PIE root *gwei- "to live."
zollverein (n.)
1843, from German Zollverein, literally "customs union," from Zoll "toll" (see toll (n.)) + Verein "union," from vereinen "to unite," from ver- + ein "one" (from PIE root *oi-no- "one, unique").
zombie (n.)
also zombi, jumbie, 1788, possibly representing two separate words, one relating to the dead and the other to authority figures, but if so historically these were not kept distinct in English-speaking usage. The oldest attested sense in English is "'spirits of dead wicked men [...] that torment the living.'" The sense of "reanimated corpse" is by 1929, introduced in the work of William Seabrook who observed this sense as a uniquely Haitian concept. The word usually is said to be of West African origin (compare Kikongo zumbi "fetish" and djumbi "ghost). A sense of "slow-witted person" is recorded from 1936.
It also is attested from 1819 as a title for a chief, in an Afro-Brazilian context. This is said to be directly from the Angolan (Kimbundu) nzambi, "deity." The meaning "witch" is attested by 1910, that of "deity" is by 1921. Grand Zombi as the name of a deity in Voodoo practices is in English by 1904. Zombi was also used as a name for pets in 19c.
zonal (adj.)
1839, from Late Latin zonalis, from Latin zona (see zone (n.)).
zone (v.)
1760, "mark with zones," from zone (n.). Land use planning sense is from 1916. Related: Zoned; zoning.
zoning (n.)
"land-use planning," 1912, verbal noun from zone (v.).
zoned (adj.)
1960s in drug-use sense, from ozone (n.), which is found high in the atmosphere; the related verb to zone is from 1980s.
zone (n.)
late 14c., from Latin zona "geographical belt, celestial zone," from Greek zōnē "a belt, the girdle worn by women at the hips," from zōnnynai "to gird," from PIE root *yos- "to gird" (source also of Avestan yasta- "girt," Lithuanian juosiu, juosti "to gird," Old Church Slavonic po-jasu "girdle"). The 10c. Anglo-Saxon treatise on astronomy translates Latin quinque zonas as fyf gyrdlas.
Originally one of the five great divisions of the earth's surface (torrid, temperate, frigid; separated by tropics of Cancer and Capricorn and Arctic and Antarctic circles); meaning "any discrete region" is first recorded 1822. Zone defense in team sports is recorded from 1927.
zonk (v.)
1950, "to hit hard;" 1968, "to put into a stupor;" slang term, of echoic origin.
zoo (n.)
c. 1847, short for Zoological Gardens of the London Zoological Society, established 1828 in Regent's Park to house the society's collection of wild animals. The first three letters taken as one syllable. "From a mere vulgarism, this corruption has passed into wide colloquial use" [Century Dictionary]. The slang meaning "crowded and chaotic place" is recorded by 1935.
zoo-
word-forming element meaning "animal, living being," from Greek zoion "an animal," literally "a living being," from PIE root *gwei- "to live" (source also of Greek bios "life").
zoography (n.)
1590s, from zoo- "animal" + -graphy. Related: Zoographer; zoographic.