<B>zaratite, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD> a hydrous carbonate of nickel, of a green color, found as an incrustation and in stalactites. </DL>
<A NAME="zarazuela">
<B>zarazuela, </B>noun. <B>=zarzuela.</B></DL>
<A NAME="zareba">
<B>zareba</B> or <B>zareeba, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD> in the Sudan and adjacent parts of Africa: <DD><B> 1. </B>a fence or enclosure, usually constructed of thornbushes, for defense against the attacks of enemies or wild beasts. <DD><B> 2. </B>a camp protected by such a fence. </DL>
<A NAME="zarf">
<B>zarf, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD> a cup-shaped metal holder for a hot coffee cup without a handle, used in the Levant. Also, <B>zurf.</B> </DL>
<A NAME="zarzuela">
<B>zarzuela, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD> a short drama with incidental music, similar to an operetta or musical comedy. Also, <B>zarazuela.</B> </DL>
<A NAME="zastruga">
<B>zastruga, </B>noun, pl. <B>-gi.</B><DL COMPACT><DD> (in Siberia and elsewhere) one of a series of wavelike ridges formed in snow by the action of the wind, and running in the direction of the wind. Also, <B>sastruga.</B> </DL>
<A NAME="zax">
<B>zax, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD> a type of ax for shaping roofing slates, having a pointed peen for making nail holes. </DL>
<A NAME="zaxis">
<B>z-axis, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD> the third axis in a three-dimensional system of rectangular coordinates, the other two axes being the x-axis and y-axis. </DL>
<A NAME="zaydi">
<B>Zaydi, </B>noun, pl. <B>-di</B> or <B>-dis.</B> <B>=Zaidi.</B></DL>
<A NAME="zayin">
<B>zayin, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD> the seventh letter of the Hebrew alphabet. </DL>
<A NAME="zazen">
<B>zazen, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD> (in Zen Buddhism) omphaloskepsis. </DL>
<A NAME="zbar">
<B>Z-bar, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD> a steel bar used in constructing steel columns for buildings and other structures, consisting essentially of a web with two flanges at right angles to it, and having the cross section somewhat resembling the letter Z. </DL>
<A NAME="zbb">
<B>ZBB</B> (no periods),<DL COMPACT><DD> zero-based budgeting. </DL>
<A NAME="zeal">
<B>zeal, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD> eager desire or effort; earnest enthusiasm; fervor. <BR> <I>Ex. religious zeal. A good citizen works with zeal for his country's interests.</I> </DL>
<A NAME="zealot">
<B>zealot, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD> a person who shows too much zeal; immoderate partisan; fanatic. <BR> <I>Ex. A band of zealots ... is pushing his candidacy hard (Wall Street Journal).</I> (SYN) bigot. </DL>
<A NAME="zealot">
<B>Zealot, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD> a member of a strict, militant Jewish sect which fiercely resisted the Romans in Palestine until Jerusalem was destroyed in A.D. 70. </DL>
<A NAME="zealotry">
<B>zealotry, </B>noun, pl. <B>-ries.</B><DL COMPACT><DD><B> 1. </B>action or feeling characteristic of a zealot; too great zeal; fanaticism. <DD><B> 2. </B>an instance of this. </DL>
<A NAME="zealous">
<B>zealous, </B>adjective.<DL COMPACT><DD> full of zeal; eager; earnest; actively enthusiastic. <BR> <I>Ex. The salesman seems very zealous to please. We made zealous efforts to clean up the house for the party.</I> (SYN) ardent, fervent. adv. <B>zealously.</B> noun <B>zealousness.</B> </DL>
<A NAME="zebec">
<B>zebec</B> or <B>zebeck, </B>noun. <B>=xebec.</B></DL>
<A NAME="zebedee">
<B>Zebedee, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD> father of the Apostles James and John (in the Bible, Matthew 4:21). </DL>
<A NAME="zebra">
<B>zebra, </B>noun, pl. <B>-bras</B> or (collectively) <B>-bra.</B><DL COMPACT><DD><B> 1. </B>a wild mammal of southern and eastern Africa, related to the horse and donkey but striped with dark bands on white. There are three species, the commonest being the Burchell's zebra or dauw. <DD><B> 2. </B>(U.S. Slang.) an official in a sporting event who wears a striped shirt to distinguish his position as a referee, linesman, or the like. <BR> <I>Ex. This year's Super Bowl zebras ... chosen by N.F.L. Supervisor of Officials (Time).</I> </DL>
<A NAME="zebracrossing">
<B>zebra crossing,</B><DL COMPACT><DD> (British.) a crosswalk painted black with white stripes, giving pedestrians right of way in crossing streets. </DL>
<A NAME="zebrafinch">
<B>zebra finch,</B><DL COMPACT><DD> a waxbill very common in Australia and popular as a cage bird. It has black and white stripes and a chestnut patch on the cheek. </DL>
<A NAME="zebrafish">
<B>zebra fish,</B><DL COMPACT><DD> a percoid fish with dark stripes found in Australian waters. </DL>
<A NAME="zebrass">
<B>zebrass, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD> the offspring of a male zebra and a female ass. </DL>
<A NAME="zebraswallowtail">
<B>zebra swallowtail,</B><DL COMPACT><DD> a large North American swallowtail butterfly having long tails and black wings banded with greenish or yellowish white. </DL>
<A NAME="zebratailedlizard">
<B>zebra-tailed lizard,</B><DL COMPACT><DD> a lizard about 6 or 7 inches long, with a thick body, a small head, and a tapering tail. It lives in the deserts of southwestern United States and northern Mexico. </DL>
<A NAME="zebrawood">
<B>zebrawood, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD><B> 1. </B>the hard, striped wood of a large tree of tropical America, used especially for cabinetwork. <DD><B> 2. </B>this tree. <DD><B> 3. </B>any one of several similar woods. </DL>
<A NAME="zebrine">
<B>zebrine, </B>adjective.<DL COMPACT><DD><B> 1. </B>having to do with a zebra. <DD><B> 2. </B>resembling a zebra. </DL>
<A NAME="zebroid">
<B>zebroid, </B>adjective, noun.<DL COMPACT><DD><I>adj. </I> resembling the zebra. <DD><I>noun </I> a zebroid animal; cross between the zebra and the ass, or the zebra and the horse. </DL>
<A NAME="zebrula">
<B>zebrula, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD> the offspring of a male zebra and a female horse. </DL>
<A NAME="zebrule">
<B>zebrule, </B>noun. <B>=zebrula.</B></DL>
<A NAME="zebu">
<B>zebu, </B>noun, pl. <B>-bus</B> or (collectively) <B>-bu.</B><DL COMPACT><DD> a mammal like an ox but with a large, fatty hump over the shoulders, and a large dewlap. The zebu is a domestic animal in Asia and eastern Africa. </DL>
<A NAME="zebulun">
<B>Zebulun, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD><B> 1. </B>tenth son of Jacob, by Leah (in the Bible, Genesis, 30:19, 20). <DD><B> 2. </B>the tribe of Israel that claimed descent from him. </DL>
<A NAME="zecchin">
<B>zecchin, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD> a sequin, a former gold coin of Venice and Turkey. </DL>
<A NAME="zecchino">
<B>zecchino, </B>noun, pl. <B>-ni.</B><DL COMPACT><DD> (Italian.) sequin, a former gold coin of Venice. </DL>
<A NAME="zech">
<B>Zech.,</B><DL COMPACT><DD> Zechariah (book of the Old Testament). </DL>
<A NAME="zechariah">
<B>Zechariah, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD><B> 1. </B>a Hebrew prophet of the 500's B.C. <DD><B> 2. </B>a prophetic book of the Old Testament attributed to him. (Abbr:) Zech. </DL>
<A NAME="zechin">
<B>zechin, </B>noun. <B>=zecchin.</B></DL>
<A NAME="zed">
<B>zed, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD> (Especially British.) a name for the letter <I>Z, z.</I> </DL>
<A NAME="zedekiah">
<B>Zedekiah, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD> the last king of Judah, whose reign lasted from 597 to 587 B.C. and ended with the Exile (in the Bible, II Kings 24:17-20). </DL>
<A NAME="zedoary">
<B>zedoary, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD><B> 1. </B>the aromatic tuberous root of one of two East Indian plants of the ginger family, used as a drug. <DD><B> 2. </B>either of these plants. </DL>
<A NAME="zedonk">
<B>zedonk, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD> the offspring of a male zebra and a female donkey; zonkey. <BR> <I>Ex. Mrs. Finnigan said she knows of only three zedonks in the world, two in England and one in Canada (New York Post).</I> </DL>
<A NAME="zee">
<B>zee, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD> (Especially U.S.) a name for the letter <I>Z, z.</I> </DL>
<A NAME="zeemaneffect">
<B>Zeeman effect,</B><DL COMPACT><DD> (Physics.) the separation of lines of the spectrum that occurs in light emanating from a source in a magnetic field. </DL>
<A NAME="zefran">
<B>Zefran, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD> (Trademark.) a fabric of acrylic fiber used for clothing. </DL>
<A NAME="zein">
<B>zein, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD> (Biochemistry.) a protein contained in corn, used in plastics, coatings, and adhesives. </DL>
<A NAME="zeissplanetarium">
<B>Zeiss planetarium,</B><DL COMPACT><DD> an apparatus showing the movements of the sun, moon, planets, and stars by projecting lights on the inside of a dome shaped like a hemisphere; planetarium. </DL>
<B>zeitgeber</B> or <B>Zeitgeber, </B>noun, pl. <B>-ber</B> or <B>-bers.</B><DL COMPACT><DD> (Biology.) any time indicator, such as light, dark, or temperature, that influences the workings of the biological clock. <BR> <I>Ex. The animal still must depend on Zeitgeber, or cues from the environment, to correct the clock and thus entrain its rhythmeach year (Scientific American).</I> </DL>
<A NAME="zeitgeist">
<B>Zeitgeist, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD> the characteristic thought or feeling of a period of time; spirit of the age. <BR> <I>Ex. Arthur Panter was not the sort of person who drifts along with the Zeitgeist (New Yorker).</I> </DL>
<A NAME="zelan">
<B>Zelan, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD> (Trademark.) a chemical finish to make fabrics water- and stain-repellent. </DL>
<A NAME="zelkova">
<B>zelkova, </B>noun, pl. <B>-vas</B> or <B>-va.</B><DL COMPACT><DD> any one of a group of Asian trees or shrubs grown for shade or ornament, especially a tall, branching Japanese species often grown as a substitute for the elm. </DL>
<A NAME="zemi">
<B>zemi, </B>noun, pl. <B>-mis.</B><DL COMPACT><DD><B> 1. </B>a spirit worshipped by the ancient Arawak Indians and represented by a figure of wood, bone, or some other material. <DD><B> 2. </B>the figure itself. Each Arawak Indian had at least one zemi in his home. </DL>
<A NAME="zemindar">
<B>zemindar, </B>noun. <B>=zamindar.</B></DL>
<A NAME="zemindary">
<B>zemindary, </B>noun, pl. <B>-ries.</B> <B>=zamindari.</B></DL>
<A NAME="zemstvo">
<B>zemstvo, </B>noun, pl. <B>-stvos.</B><DL COMPACT><DD> a local elective assembly in Russia before the Revolution, which managed the affairs of a district. </DL>
<A NAME="zen">
<B>Zen, </B>noun. <B>=Zen Buddhism.</B></DL>
<A NAME="zenana">
<B>zenana, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD> the part of a Moslem house set aside for the women in Pakistan, India, and certain other parts of Asia. </DL>
