Select a letter for some words
Zaerthe
Same as .
Zaim
A Turkish chief who supports a mounted militia bearing the same name.
Zaimet
A district from which a Zaim draws his revenue.
Zain
A horse of a dark color, neither gray nor white, and having no spots.
Zamang
An immense leguminous tree () of Venezuela. Its branches form a hemispherical mass, often one hundred and eighty feet across. The sweet pulpy pods are used commonly for feeding cattle. Also called .
Zambo
The child of a mulatto and a negro; also, the child of an Indian and a negro; colloquially or humorously, a negro; a sambo.
Zamia
A genus of cycadaceous plants, having the appearance of low palms, but with exogenous wood. See , and of .
Zamite
A fossil cycad of the genus .
Zampogna
A sort of bagpipe formerly in use among Italian peasants. It is now almost obsolete.
Zante
See .
Zantewood
A yellow dyewood; fustet; -- called also , and . See , and the Note under .
Zantiot
A native or inhabitant of Zante, one of the Ionian Islands.
zap
to shoot, destroy, or inactivate; .
Zapatera
A cured olive which has spoiled or is on the verge of decomposition; loosely, an olive defective because of bruises, wormholes, or the like.
Zaptiah
A Turkish policeman.
Zax
A tool for trimming and puncturing roofing slates.
Zeal
To be zealous.
Zealful
Full of zeal.
Zebrine
Pertaining to, or resembling, the zebra.
Zebrinny
A cross between a male horse and a female zebra.
Zebub
A large noxious fly of Abyssinia, which like the tsetse fly, is destructive to cattle.
Zechin
See .
Zechstein
The upper division of the Permian (Dyas) of Europe. The prevailing rock is a magnesian limestone.
Zed
The letter ; -- called also , and formerly .
Zedoary
A medicinal substance obtained in the East Indies, having a fragrant smell, and a warm, bitter, aromatic taste. It is used in medicine as a stimulant.
Zeekoe
A hippopotamus.
Zehner
An Austrian silver coin equal to ten kreutzers, or about five cents.
Zemstvo
In Russia, an elective local district and provincial administrative assembly. Originally it was composed of representatives elected by the peasantry, the householders of the towns, and the landed proprietors. In the reign of Alexander III. the power of the noble landowners was increased, the peasants allowed only to elect candidates from whom the governor of the province nominated the deputy, and all acts of the zemstvo subjected to the approval of the governor. Theoretically the zemstvo has large powers relating to taxation, education, public health, etc., but practically these powers are in most cases limited to the adjustment of the state taxation.
Zenana
The part of a dwelling appropriated to women.
Zend-Avesta
The sacred writings of the ancient Persian religion, attributed to Zoroaster, but chiefly of a later date.
Zenick
A South African burrowing mammal (), allied to the civets. It is grayish brown, with yellowish transverse stripes on the back. Called also .
Zeolite
A term now used to designate any one of a family of minerals, hydrous silicates of alumina, with lime, soda, potash, or rarely baryta. Here are included natrolite, stilbite, analcime, chabazite, thomsonite, heulandite, and others. These species occur of secondary origin in the cavities of amygdaloid, basalt, and lava, also, less frequently, in granite and gneiss. So called because many of these species intumesce before the blowpipe.
Zephyr
The west wind; poetically, any soft, gentle breeze.
Zeppelin
A dirigible balloon of the rigid type, consisting of a cylindrical trussed and covered frame supported by internal gas cells, and provided with means of propulsion and control. It was first successfully used by .
Zequin
See .
Zerda
The fennec.
Zetetic
Seeking; proceeding by inquiry.
Zeuglodon
A genus of extinct Eocene whales, remains of which have been found in the Gulf States. The species had very long and slender bodies and broad serrated teeth. See .
Zigzag
To form with short turns.
Zigzaggery
The quality or state of being zigzag; crookedness.
Zigzaggy
Having sharp turns.
Zikkurat
A temple tower of the Babylonians or Assyrians, consisting of a lofty pyramidal structure, built in successive stages, with outside staircases, and a shrine at the top; -- called also .
Zincane
Zinc chloride.
Zinciferous
Containing or affording zinc.
Zincite
Native zinc oxide; a brittle, translucent mineral, of an orange-red color; -- called also , and .
Zincoid
Pertaining to, or resembling, zinc; -- said of the electricity of the zincous plate in connection with a copper plate in a voltaic circle; also, designating the positive pole.
Zinkenite
A steel-gray metallic mineral, a sulphide of antimony and lead.
Zinsang
The delundung.
Zip
A hissing or sibilant sound such as that made by a flying bullet.
Zip
To make, or move with, such a sound.
zip + 4
a full nine-digit . See .
Zircona
Zirconia.
Zirconate
A salt of zirconic acid.
Zirconia
The oxide of zirconium (), obtained as a white powder, and possessing both acid and basic properties. On account of its infusibility, and brilliant luminosity when incandescent, it is used as an ingredient of sticks for the Drummomd light.
Zirconic
Pertaining to, containing, or resembling, zirconium;
Zirconium
A rare element of the carbon-silicon group, intermediate between the metals and nonmetals, obtained from the mineral zircon as a dark sooty powder, or as a gray metallic crystalline substance. Symbol Zr. Atomic weight, 90.4.
Zirconoid
A double eight-sided pyramid, a form common with tetragonal crystals; -- so called because this form often occurs in crystals of .
Zither
An instrument of music used in Austria and Germany. It has from thirty to forty wires strung across a shallow sounding-board, which lies horizontally on a table before the performer, who uses both hands in playing on it.
Zittern
See .
Zizania
A genus of grasses including Indian rice. See , under .
Zizel
The suslik.
Zoanthodeme
The zooids of a compound anthozoan, collectively.
Zoanthropy
A kind of monomania in which the patient believes himself transformed into one of the lower animals.
Zoanthus
A genus of Actinaria, including numerous species, found mostly in tropical seas. The zooids or polyps resemble small, elongated actinias united together at their bases by fleshy stolons, and thus forming extensive groups. The tentacles are small and bright colored.
Zobo
A kind of domestic cattle reared in Asia for its flesh and milk. It is supposed to be a hybrid between the zebu and the yak.
Zoic
Of or pertaining to animals, or animal life.
Zoisite
A grayish or whitish mineral occurring in orthorhombic, prismatic crystals, also in columnar masses. It is a silicate of alumina and lime, and is allied to epidote.
Zolaism
The literary theories and practices of the French novelist (1840-1902); naturalism, esp. in a derogatory sense.
Zllner's lines
Parallel lines that are made to appear convergent or divergent by means of oblique intersections.
Zomboruk
See .
Zonal
Of or pertaining to a zone; having the form of a zone or zones.
Zonar
A belt or girdle which the Christians and Jews of the Levant were obliged to wear to distinguish them from Mohammedans.
Zonnar
See .
Zonular
Of or pertaining to a zone; zone-shaped.
Zonule
A little zone, or girdle.
Zo-
A combining form from Gr. an , as in genic, logy, etc.
Zochemistry
Animal chemistry; particularly, the description of the chemical compounds entering into the composition of the animal body, in distinction from .
Zochlorella
One of the small green granulelike bodies found in the interior of certain stentors, hydras, and other invertebrates.
Zocytium
The common support, often branched, of certain species of social Infusoria.
Zodendrium
The branched, and often treelike, support of the colonies of certain Infusoria.
Zogenic
Of or pertaining to zogeny, animal production.
Zogeographical
Of or pertaining to zography.
Zographist
A zographer.
Zography
A description of animals, their forms and habits.
Zooid
An organic body or cell having locomotion, as a spermatic cell or spermatozooid.
Zologer
A zologist.
Zologically
In a zological manner; according to the principles of zology.
Zomelanin
A pigment giving the black color to the feathers of many birds.
Zonic
Of or pertaining to animals; obtained from animal substances.
Zophyte
Any one of numerous species of invertebrate animals which more or less resemble plants in appearance, or mode of growth, as the corals, gorgonians, sea anemones, hydroids, bryozoans, sponges, etc., especially any of those that form compound colonies having a branched or treelike form, as many corals and hydroids.
Zophytological
Of or pertaining to zophytology; .
Zosporic
Of or pertaining to zospores; of the nature of zospores.
Zotomist
One who dissects animals, or is skilled in zotomy.
Zotrophic
Of or pertaining to the nourishment of animals.
Zope
A European fresh-water bream ().
Zoril
Same as .
Zorilla
Either one of two species of small African carnivores of the genus allied to the weasels and skunks.
Zoroastrian
Of or pertaining to , or his religious system.
Zuche
A stump of a tree.
Zwanziger
An Austrian silver coin equivalent to 20 kreutzers, or about 10 cents.
Zygobranchiate
Of or pertaining to the Zygobranchia.
Zygodactyli
Same as .
Zygoma
The jugal, malar, or cheek bone.
Zygophyte
Any plant of a proposed class or grand division (, , or ), in which reproduction consists in the union of two similar cells. Cf. .
Zylonite
Celluloid.
Zymase
A soluble ferment, or enzyme. See .
Zymic
Pertaining to, or produced by, fermentation; -- formerly, by confusion, used to designate lactic acid.
Zymogenic
Pertaining to, or formed by, a zymogene.
Zymology
A treatise on the fermentation of liquors, or the doctrine of fermentation.
Zymome
A glutinous substance, insoluble in alcohol, resembling legumin; -- now called , , or .
Zymophyte
A bacteroid ferment.
Zymoscope
An apparatus for determining the fermenting power of yeast by measuring the amount of carbonic acid evolved from a given quantity of sugar.
Zymosis
A fermentation; hence, an analogous process by which an infectious disease is believed to be developed.
Zythepsary
A brewery.