英语词源字典 Z.doc

Z not a native letter in O.E.; in Anglo-Fr. words it represents the ts sound (cf. Anglo-Fr. fiz, from L. filius, modern Fitz); 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. Thou whoreson Zed, thou vnnecessary Letter. King Lear, II.ii.69 Series of zs to represent a buzzing sound first attested 1852; zees spell of sleep, a nap is slang first recorded 1963, Amer.Eng. student slang. Zacchaeus masc. proper name, from L.L. Zacchaeus, from Gk. Zakkhaios, from Heb. zakkay, lit. pure, innocent, from zakhah was clean, was pure. Zachariah masc. proper name, L.L. Zacharias, from Gk. Zakharias, from Heb. Zekharyahu, lit. the Lord has remembered, from zakhar he remembered. zaftig alluringly plump, curvaceous, buxom, 1937, from Yiddish zaftik, lit. juicy, from zaft juice, from M.H.G. saft juice (see sap (n.1). zag (v.) 1793, from zig-zag (q.v.). Zamboni proprietary name for a machine used to resurface ice skating rinks, 1965, trademark of Frank J. Zamboni & Co., Paramount, Calif., claiming use since July 1962. zany (n.) comic performer, 1588, from Fr. zani, from It. zani, zanni a zany, clown, originally Zanni, Venetian dial. variant of Gianni, pet form of Giovanni John. A stock character in old comedies, he aped the principal actors. The adj. is attested by 1869, from the noun. zap 1929 (sound effect), 1942 (v.), comic strip word (especially from Buck Rogers in the Twenty-Fifth Century), of imitative origin. Meaning to erase electronically is 1982. Zarathustra from Avestan Zarathushtra (see Zoroastrian). zeal 1382, from L.L. zelus zeal, emulation (cf. O.Fr. zel, It. zelo, Sp. celo), a Church word, from Gk. zelos zeal, ardor, jealousy, which is of uncertain origin. Zealous first recorded 1535. zealot c.1300, member of a militant 1st century Jewish sect which fiercely resisted the Romans in Palestine, from L.L. Zelotes, from Gk. zelotes one who is a zealous follower, from zeloun to be zealous, from zelos zeal (see zeal). Extended sense of a fanatical enthusiast first recorded 1638. zebra 1600, from It. zebra, perhaps from Port., earlier applied to a now-extinct wild ass, said to be Congolese OED, or Amharic Klein, but perhaps ult. from L. equiferus wild horse, from equus horse + ferus (see fierce). zebu Asiatic ox, 1774, from Fr. zebu, ult. of Tibetan origin. First shown in Europe at the Paris fair of 1752. Zebulon masc. proper name, Biblical son of Jacob by Leah, from Heb. Zebhulun, from zebhul a dwelling + dim. suffix -on (cf. Gen. xxx:20). Zechariah masc. proper name, Biblical 11th of the Twelve Prophets; see Zachariah. zed c.1400, from M.Fr. zede, from L.L. zeta, from Gk. zeta, from Heb. zayin, letter name, lit. weapon; so called in allusion to the shape of this letter in ancient Hebrew. U.S. pronunciation zee is first attested 1677. Other dialectal names for the letter are izzard, ezod, uzzard and zod. Zeiss in ref. to spy-glasses or binoculars, 1905, from the firm founded by Ger. optical instrument manufacturer Carl Zeiss (1816-88). zeitgeist 1848, from Ger. Zeitgeist, lit. spirit of the age, from Zeit time (see tide) + Geist spirit (see ghost). Zen school of Mahayana Buddhism, 1727, from Japanese, from Chinese chan, ult. from Skt. dhyana thought, meditation, from PIE base *dhya to see, contemplate. Zend 1715, Parsee sacred book (in full, Zend-Avesta, 1630), from O.Pers. zend, from Pahlavi zand commentary. First used in ref. to the language of the Zend-Avesta in 1771 by Anquetiel-Duperron (1731-1805). zenith 1387, from O.Fr. cenith (Fr. znith), from M.L. cenit, senit, bungled scribal transliteration of Arabic samt road, path, abbreviation of samt ar-ras, lit. the way over the head. Letter -m- misread as -ni-. The M.L. word may as well be influenced by the rough agreement of the Arabic term with classical L. semita sidetrack, side path (notion of thing going off to the side), from se- apart + *mi-ta-, suffixed zero-grade form of PIE base *mei- to change (see mutable). Zenobia fem. proper name, from Gk. Zenobia, lit. the force of Zeus, from Zen, collateral form of Zeus, + bia strength, force, cognate with Skt. jya force, power (see Jain). Zenonian 1843, pertaining to one of two Gk. 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. zephyr 1369, from O.E. Zefferus, from L. Zephyrus, from Gk. Zephyros the west wind (sometimes personified as a god), probably related to zophos the west, the dark region, darkness, gloom. Sense of mild breeze is c.1610. zeppelin 1900, from Ger. Zeppelin, short for Zeppelinschiff Zeppelin ship, after Count Ferdinand von Zeppelin (1838-1917), Ger. general who perfected its design. zero 1604, from It. zero, from M.L. zephirum, from Arabic sifr cipher, translation of Skt. sunya-m empty place, desert, naught (see cipher). A brief history of the invention of zero can be found here. Meaning worthless person is recorded from 1813. The verb zero in is 1944, from the noun, on the notion of instrument adjustments. Zero tolerance first recorded 1972, originally U.S. political language. zest 1674, from Fr. 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. zeta Gk. letter, see zed. zetetic proceeding by inquiry, 1645, from Mod.L. zeteticus, from Gk. zetetikos searching, inquiring, from zetetos, verbal adj. of zetein seek for, inquire into. zeugma 1586, a single word (usually a verb or adj.) made to refer to two or more words in a sentence, from Gk., lit. a yoking, from zeugnynai to yoke (see jugular). Zeus supreme god of the ancient Greeks, 1706, from Gk., from PIE *dewos- god (cf. L. deus god, O. Pers. daiva- demon, evil god, O.C.S. deivai, Skt. deva-), from base *dei- to gleam, to shine. Ziegfeld in ref. to showgirls or stage revues, 1913, from Florenz Ziegfeld (1869-1932), U.S. theatrical producer, who staged annual follies from 1907-1931. zig-zag 1712, from Fr. zigzag (1680), perhaps from Ger. Zickzack (though this only is attested from 1703), possibly a reduplication of Zacke tooth, prong. Earliest use in Ger. is in ref. to military siege approaches. Originally in Eng. used to describe the layout of certain garden paths. The verb is recorded from 1787. ziggurat 1877, from Assyrian ziqquratu height, pinnacle, from zaqaru to be high. zilch nothing, 1966, from earlier sense of meaningless speech (1960), originally Mr. Zilch, (1931) comic character in the magazine Ballyhoo. Perhaps from U.S. college slang (early 1900s) Joe Zilsch an insignificant person. Probably a nonsense syllable, but Zilch is an actual Ger. surname of Slavic origin. zillion 1944, arbitrary coinage with no definite numerical value; first recorded in Damon Runyon. zinc 1651, from Ger. 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 O.H.G. zint a point, jag, from P.Gmc. *tindja tine (cf. O.N. tindr point, top, summit, O.E. tind prong, spike; cf. tine). zine 1965, short for fanzine (1949), from fan + suffix abstracted from magazine. zinfandel 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. E.g. this article: The similarity in the names Zinfandel and Zierfandler arouses some speculation. Modern vine identification systems did not yet exist in 1829, so it is conceivable that the cuttings George Gibbs imported to the USA had never been correctly identified in Austria. zing (n.) 1911, high pitched sound, 1918, of echoic origin. Slang meaning energy, zest is attested from 1918. Zinger cruel quip first attested 1970. zinnia genus of herbs of the aster family, 1767, from Mod.L. (Linnus, 1763), named for Ger. botanist Johann Gottfried Zinn (1729-59) Zion O.E. Sion, from Gk. Seon, from Heb. 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 movement for forming (later supporting) a Jewish national state in Palestine first attested 1896, from Ger. Zionismus (from Zion + L.-derived suffix -ismus), first recorded 1886 in Selbstemancipation, by Matthias Acher (pseudonym of Nathan Birnbaum). zip (v.1) move rapidly, 1852, of echoic origin. Zippy is first attested 1904. Zip gun homemade pistol first recorded 1950. 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). zip (n.) zero, 1900, student slang for a grade of zero on a test, etc.; of unknown origin; cf. zilch. zip (v.2) to close or fasten by means of a zipper, 1932, back-formation from zipper. zipper 1925, probably from zip (1). The trademark taken out on the name that year applied to a boot with zippers, not to the lightning fastener itself, which was at first called a zip. Zippo proprietary name of a brand of cigarette lighter, patented 1934 by Zippo Manufacturing Co., Bradford, Pa. zircon 1794, from Ger. Zirkon (cf. Fr. jargon, It. giargone), from Arabic zarqun cinnabar, bright red, from Pers. zargun gold-colored, from Avestan zari- gold-colored, from zar gold. Zirconium, metallic chemical element, first attested 1808, coined by Ger. chemist Martin Heinrich Klaproth (1743-1817) in 1789; so called because it was found in zircon. zit acne pimple, 1966, originally U.S. teenager slang, of unknown origin. zither stringed musical instrument, 1850, from Ger. Zither, from O.H.G. zitara, from L. cithara, from Gk. kithara lute (see guitar). ziti type of tubular pasta, pl. of zita (1845), from It. zloty monetary unit of Poland, 1915, from Pol., lit. of gold, from zloto gold, related to Rus. zoloto, Czech zlato gold (see gold). zoanthropy form of mania in which a man imagines himself to be another type of beast, 1856, from Mod.L. zoanthropia, from Gk. zoion animal + anthropos man. zodiac 1390, from O.Fr. zodiaque, from L. zodiacus zodiac, from Gk. zodiakos (kyklos) zodiac (circle), lit. circle of little animals, from zodiaion, dim. of zoion animal (see zoo). In O.E. it was twelf tacna the twelve signs, and in M.E. also Our Ladyes Waye and the Girdle of the Sky. zoetrope 1867, lit. wheel of life, from Gk. zoe life (see zoo) + trope turn (see trope). zollverein 1843, from Ger., lit. customs union, from Zoll toll (see toll) + Verein union, from vereinen to unite, from ein one. zombie 1871, of W. African origin (cf. Kikongo zumbi fetish; Kimbundu nzambi god), originally the name of a snake god, later with meaning reanimated corpse in voodoo cult. But perhaps also from Louisiana creole word meaning phantom, ghost, from Sp. sombra shade, ghost. Sense slow-witted person is recorded from 1936. zone 1390, from L. zona geographical belt, celestial zone, from Gk. zone a belt, related to zonnynai to gird, from PIE base *yes- to gird, girdle (cf. Avestan yasta- girt, Lith. juosiu to gird, O.C.S. po-jasu girdle). Originally one of the five great divisions of the earths 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. Zoning land-use planning is recorded from 1912. Zoned (adj.) in drug-use sense is attested 1960s, from ozone, which is found high in the atmosphere; the related verb to zone is from 1980s. zonk 1950, to hit hard; 1968, to put into a stupor; slang term, of echoic origin. zoo c.1847, short for Zoological Gardens of the London Zoological Society, established 1828 in Regents Park to house the societys collection of wild animals. From comb. form of Gk. zoion an animal, lit. a living being, from PIE base *gwei- to live, life (cf. Gk. bios life, O.E. cwicu living; see bio-). Slang meaning crowded and chaotic place first recorded 1935. zoology 1669, from Mod.L. zoologia, from Gk. zoion animal (see zoo) + -logia study, from logos word. Zoologist first recorded 1663. zoom 1886, of echoic origin. Gained popularity c.1917 as aviators began to use it; zoom lens is 1936. zoot suit 1942, Amer.Eng. slang, the first element probably a nonsense reduplication of suit (cf. reet pleat, drape shape from the same jargon). Zoroastrian 1743, from Zoroaster, from L. Zoroastres, from O.Pers. Zarathushtra, 6c. or 7c. B.C.E. Pers. religious teacher. The name appears to be lit. whose camels are old, from *zarant old (cognate with Gk. geron, gen. gerontos old) + ushtra camel. zorro 1838, S.Amer. fox-wolf, from Sp., masc. of zorra fox, from Basque azaria fox. The comic book hero, a variation on the Robin Hood theme set in old Sp. California, was created 1919 by writer Johnston McCulley. zouave 1848, from Fr., from Arabic Zwawa, from Berber Igawawaen, name of a Kabyle tribe in Algeria, from which the Fr. l