📖 Z — The English dictionary

zag — In Jewish tradition, meaning 1: One of the sharp turns in a zigzag line, where the line changes direction.↗ Example: Many Kabalists have shown how the Ten Sephiruth are symbolized by the zig-zag lightning flash.↗ (Sefer Yetzirah, Westcott 1893)↗

zakat — Everyday, meaning 1: (Islam) The giving of a fixed part of one's wealth each year to the poor and needy; it is one of the Five Pillars of Islam.↗ Everyday, meaning 2: For most savings it is one-fortieth (2.5 per cent) of the wealth a Muslim has kept for a full year above a set minimum.↗ Example: Zakat is one of the Five Pillars of Islam.↗ · My friend's family pays zakat every year.↗ · Zakat helps the poor and needy.↗ · If you have 800 pounds of savings, the zakat is 20 pounds.↗ · Before Eid, Muslims give zakat al-fitr so everyone can celebrate.↗ · Zakat means «purifying» because giving cleans the heart of greed.↗

zap — Everyday, meaning 1: (informal) To destroy, kill or hit something quickly, as with a ray gun or electricity.↗ Everyday, meaning 2: (informal) To give a small electric shock.↗ Everyday, meaning 3: (informal) To heat food in a microwave.↗ Everyday, meaning 4: (informal) To move or send quickly: zap a message.↗ Everyday, meaning 5: (interjection) A sound word for a sudden flash or hit.↗ Example: The alien zapped the robot with a laser.↗ · Zap the soup in the microwave for two minutes.↗ · I got zapped by static when I touched the door handle.↗ · The game lets you zap monsters for points.↗ · Zap!↗ The lights went out.↗ · The teacher zapped the photos to our class page.↗

zayin — In Jewish tradition, meaning 1: The seventh letter of the Hebrew alphabet, with a "z" sound.↗ Example: == Chapter 5 == [5:1] Twelve Simple Letters, Heh-Waw Zayin-Chet Tet-Yod Lamed-Nun ʽAyin-Samekh Tzadi-Qof—Their foundation is Seeing, Hearing, Smelling, Talking, Eating, Sex, Work, Movement, Excitement, Play, Contemplation, Sleep.↗ (Sefer Yetzirah, Sefaria community translation)↗ · He made the letter Zayin reign, and bound to it a crown, and formed with it Gemini in the World, and Siwan in the year, and the right leg in the Person.↗ (Sefer Yetzirah, Sefaria community translation)↗

zeal — Everyday, meaning 1: Great energy and eagerness in doing something, especially in serving a cause or a person.↗ Example: She worked with zeal to finish the picture.↗ · His zeal for football made him train every day.↗ · The guard showed great zeal in keeping the gate.↗ · Students with zeal often learn fast.↗ · The zeal of the LORD of hosts doth perform this.↗ (Prophets ISA.9.6, JPS 1917)↗ · My zeal hath undone me, because mine adversaries have forgotten Thy words.↗ (Writings PSA.119.139, JPS 1917)↗ · And he said: 'Come with me, and see my zeal for the LORD.'↗ So they made him ride in his chariot.↗ (Prophets 2KI.10.16, JPS 1917)↗

zealander — Everyday, meaning 1: «Zealander» is mostly part of «New Zealander», a person who comes from New Zealand.↗ Everyday, meaning 2: On its own, a Zealander is a person from Zealand, a region of Denmark or the Netherlands (Zeeland).↗ Example: My penfriend is a New Zealander from Auckland.↗ · New Zealanders are often called Kiwis.↗ · Many New Zealanders love rugby.↗ · The famous climber was a New Zealander.↗ · Zealand is an island in Denmark, so a Zealander lives there.↗ · Our class talked to New Zealanders on a video call.↗

zealot — Everyday, meaning 1: A zealot is a person who is too strong and fierce in their beliefs, especially in religion or politics.↗ Everyday, meaning 2: (Bible, history) The Zealots were a group of Jewish people in the time of Jesus who fought against Roman rule.↗ Example: The zealot shouted at everyone who disagreed.↗ · Simon the Zealot was one of Jesus's twelve apostles.↗ · Zealots can be dangerous when they refuse to listen.↗ · He is a zealot about tidiness.↗ · The Zealots fought against Rome.↗ · Don't be a zealot; listen to others.↗

zealous — Everyday, meaning 1: Very eager and hard-working in doing something, often out of loyalty or belief.↗ Example: The zealous servants cleaned the palace.↗ · He was a zealous helper of the king.↗ · Zealous children tidied the room before the guests came.↗ · Her zealous followers set off at dawn.↗

zebra — Everyday, meaning 1: A zebra is a wild African animal like a horse with black and white stripes.↗ A zebra has 4 legs.↗ Everyday, meaning 2: A zebra crossing (UK) is a place on a road with black and white stripes where people can cross.↗ Example: The zoo has 6 zebras.↗ · How many legs do 6 zebras have?↗ · 3 zebras and 2 lions drink water.↗ · Each zebra eats 8 kg of grass.↗ · No two zebras have the same stripes.↗ · A herd of zebras ran across the plain.↗ · Cross the road at the zebra crossing.↗ · Zebras live in Africa and eat grass.↗

zed — Everyday, meaning 1: (UK, Canada, Australia, Ireland, New Zealand) The name of the last letter of the alphabet, Z.↗ Everyday, meaning 2: (informal) «Catch some zeds» means get some sleep, because cartoon sleepers show «zzz».↗ Example: The alphabet goes from A to zed.↗ · «Zebra» starts with a zed.↗ · Americans say «zee» but we say «zed».↗ · Spell «zoo»: zed, oh, oh.↗ · I'm off to catch some zeds.↗ · Write a capital zed at the end.↗

zee — Everyday, meaning 1: (US, Canada sometimes) The name of the letter Z in American English.↗ Everyday, meaning 2: (informal) Zees, or z's, means sleep, as in catch some z's, because cartoons show sleep with zzz.↗ Example: In the USA, the last letter of the alphabet is called zee.↗ · In Australia we say zed, but my American cousin says zee.↗ · The alphabet song in America ends with x, y and zee.↗ · I'm going to catch some zees before the trip.↗ · Zebra begins with zee in American speech.↗ · Canadians usually say zed, but some say zee.↗

zenith — Everyday, meaning 1: (science) The point in the sky directly above your head.↗ Everyday, meaning 2: The highest point a heavenly body such as the Sun reaches in the sky.↗ Everyday, meaning 3: The time when something is most powerful or successful; the peak.↗ Example: At noon the Sun was almost at its zenith.↗ · The zenith is the point in the sky right above your head.↗ · The Roman Empire reached its zenith about 1,900 years ago.↗ · At the zenith of her career, she won three gold medals.↗ · The star climbed slowly towards the zenith.↗ · The opposite of the zenith is the nadir.↗ · It took the prince on its back and soared away to the zenith.↗

zephyr — Everyday, meaning 1: A soft, gentle breeze, especially a warm one on a summer day.↗ Example: A zephyr blew through the trees.↗ · The zephyr cooled our faces on the hill.↗ · The little zephyr kissed the flowers.↗ · A warm zephyr lifted the kite.↗

zero — Everyday, meaning 1: Zero is the number 0, which means none, nothing at all.↗ Everyday, meaning 2: Zero is the point on a scale where counting starts, such as 0 on a ruler or thermometer.↗ Everyday, meaning 3: Zero degrees Celsius is the temperature at which water freezes.↗ Everyday, meaning 4: To zero in on something is to aim straight at it or focus on it closely.↗ Example: Five take away five is zero.↗ · Any number times zero is zero.↗ · It was below zero last night, so the pond froze.↗ · Our team scored zero goals in the first half.↗ · Count down: three, two, one, zero, lift-off!↗ · In the number 407 the zero holds the tens place.↗ · The eagle zeroed in on a rabbit in the field.↗ · The ruler starts at zero, not at one.↗ · His first feeling was of anger; his next that his temper fell to zero.↗ · Was the Zero a secret known to the Pythagoreans.?↗ (Mordell, The Origin of Letters and Numerals according to Sefer Yetzirah (1914))↗ · Some believed that the Zero, 0 preceded the One, 1.↗ (Mordell, The Origin of Letters and Numerals according to Sefer Yetzirah (1914))↗ · to Boethius, the Neo-Pythagoreans used as a symbol for zero.↗ (Mordell, The Origin of Letters and Numerals according to Sefer Yetzirah (1914))↗

zhou — Everyday, meaning 1: (a name) The Zhou dynasty ruled China for about 800 years, from about 1046 BC to 256 BC, longer than any other Chinese dynasty.↗ Everyday, meaning 2: (a name) Zhou is a common Chinese surname, as in Zhou Enlai, a Chinese premier.↗ Everyday, meaning 3: (Mandarin, pinyin) zhōu can mean "week" (xīngqī and zhōu both mean week), "state" or "province", or "porridge/congee" (粥 zhōu).↗ It sounds like "joe" to an English ear.↗ It is not an English word.↗ Example: The Zhou dynasty lasted about 800 years.↗ · Confucius lived near the end of the Zhou dynasty.↗ · Zhōumò means "weekend" in Mandarin.↗ · Zhou is a common family name in China.↗ · Many Chinese people eat zhōu, rice porridge, for breakfast.↗ · "Zhou" sounds a bit like "joe".↗

zib — Everyday, meaning 1: Zib is not an ordinary English word and is not in normal English dictionaries.↗ Everyday, meaning 2: It may be a piece of a longer word, a sound or name invented for a story or game, or a word borrowed from another language.↗ Example: The alien in the comic was called Zib.↗ · «Zib, zib!» went the little robot as it beeped.↗ · Did you mean «zip», not «zib»?↗ · In the word game, Zib was a nonsense word.↗ · The puzzle asked us to change «zib» into a real word by changing one letter: «zip».↗ · We couldn't find «zib» in the dictionary.↗ · The story's made-up planet was called Zib-Zob.↗

zig — In Jewish tradition, meaning 1: One of the sharp turns in a zigzag line, where the line changes direction.↗ Example: Many Kabalists have shown how the Ten Sephiruth are symbolized by the zig-zag lightning flash.↗ (Sefer Yetzirah, Westcott 1893)↗

ziggurat — Everyday, meaning 1: A very large ancient tower built in steps, getting smaller towards the top, with a temple on the highest level.↗ Everyday, meaning 2: Ziggurats were built in ancient Mesopotamia (now mostly Iraq) by peoples such as the Sumerians and Babylonians.↗ Everyday, meaning 3: Any building that rises in flat steps like this.↗ Example: The Great Ziggurat of Ur was built of mud bricks.↗ · A ziggurat had a temple at the very top.↗ · We built a ziggurat out of Lego blocks, each layer smaller.↗ · Ziggurats are not the same as Egyptian pyramids.↗ · Priests climbed the steps of the ziggurat.↗ · The hotel was shaped like a ziggurat, with gardens on each step.↗

zigzag — Everyday, meaning 1: A zigzag is a line that goes sharply one way and then sharply the other way, again and again, like the letter Z or W.↗ Everyday, meaning 2: To zigzag is to move forward by turning from side to side, again and again.↗ Everyday, meaning 3: Zigzag describes anything shaped like that, such as a zigzag pattern.↗ Example: The path zigzags up the side of the mountain.↗ · Draw a zigzag line across the top of your page.↗ · The rabbit zigzagged across the field to get away from the fox.↗ · Lightning made a bright zigzag in the sky.↗ · Do not park on the zigzag lines by the school crossing.↗ · Her dress had a red and white zigzag pattern.↗ · The skier zigzagged down the slope.↗ · Like a lightning flash the slender stem shot upwards in a zigzag line, the branches spreading around it like green gauze and banners.↗