<B>zero population growth,</B><DL COMPACT><DD> the condition in which a population ceases to grow and a balance is reached in the average number of births and deaths. </DL>
<A NAME="zerosum">
<B>zero-sum, </B>adjective.<DL COMPACT><DD> having to do with or characterized by a strategy in the theory of games in which the total winnings of one side equal the total losses of the other side. </DL>
<A NAME="zeroth">
<B>zeroth, </B>adjective.<DL COMPACT><DD> of or at zero; being zero. </DL>
<A NAME="zerovowel">
<B>zero vowel,</B> =schwa.</DL>
<A NAME="zerozero">
<B>zero-zero, </B>adjective.<DL COMPACT><DD> (Meteorology.) of severely limited visibility in horizontal and vertical directions. <BR> <I>Ex. zero-zero landing conditions.</I> </DL>
<A NAME="zest">
<B>zest, </B>noun, verb.<DL COMPACT><DD><I>noun </I> <B>1. </B>keen enjoyment; relish; gusto. <BR> <I>Ex. a youthful zest for life. The hungry man ate with zest.</I> <DD><B> 2. </B>a pleasant or exciting quality or flavor. <BR> <I>Ex. to give zest to food by the use of herbs. Wit gives zest to conversation.</I> (SYN) piquancy. <DD><B> 3. </B>the outer peel of citrus fruit. <DD><I>v.t. </I> to give zest to; impart piquant quality to. </DL>
<A NAME="zestful">
<B>zestful, </B>adjective.<DL COMPACT><DD> full of zest; characterized by keen relish or hearty enjoyment. <BR> <I>Ex. A zestful sort of place in which to spend a fortnight (Fraser's Magazine).</I> (SYN) exhilarating. adv. <B>zestfully.</B> noun <B>zestfulness.</B> </DL>
<A NAME="zesty">
<B>zesty, </B>adjective.<DL COMPACT><DD> having much zest; full of zest. <BR> <I>Ex. Guests can shell their own [crustaceans] and dip them into a zesty mayonnaise (New Yorker).</I> </DL>
<A NAME="zeta">
<B>zeta, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD> the sixth letter of the Greek alphabet corresponding to English Z, z. </DL>
<A NAME="zetetic">
<B>zetetic, </B>adjective.<DL COMPACT><DD><B> 1. </B>having to do with inquiry or investigation. <DD><B> 2. </B>proceeding by inquiry or investigation. </DL>
<A NAME="zethus">
<B>Zethus, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD> (Greek Mythology.) the twin brother of Amphion. </DL>
<A NAME="zeugma">
<B>zeugma, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD> (Grammar.) the use of a word to relate to two or more words in a sentence, when properly applying in sense to only one of them. </DL>
<A NAME="zeugmatic">
<B>zeugmatic, </B>adjective.<DL COMPACT><DD> (Grammar.) <DD><B> 1. </B>having to do with zeugma. <DD><B> 2. </B>of the nature of zeugma. </DL>
<A NAME="zeus">
<B>Zeus, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD> the chief god of the ancient Greeks. He was the ruler of gods and men and the god of the sky and weather, son of Cronus and Rhea, and husband of Hera. The Romans called him Jupiter. </DL>
<B>Zhdanovism, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD> (formerly) a policy to purge Russian literature of Western influence, especially during Stalin's regime. </DL>
<A NAME="zho">
<B>zho, </B>noun. =dzo.</DL>
<A NAME="zibeline">
<B>zibeline</B> or <B>zibelline, </B>noun, adjective.<DL COMPACT><DD><I>noun </I> <B>1. </B>sable (the fur). <DD><B> 2. </B>a woolen fabric with a slightly furry surface, used for dresses and coats. <DD><I>adj. </I> of or having to do with sable or the sable. </DL>
<A NAME="zibet">
<B>zibet</B> or <B>zibeth, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD> a civet cat of India and the Malay Peninsula. </DL>
<A NAME="zidovudine">
<B>zidovudine, </B>noun. <B>=azidothymidine.</B> <I>Ex. Recently renamed zidovudine, AZT slows viral replication and currently is the only federally approved AIDS treatment (Science News).</I> </DL>
<A NAME="zig">
<B>zig, </B>noun, verb, <B>zigged,</B> <B>zigging.</B><DL COMPACT><DD> (Informal.) <DD><I>noun </I> the first movement or turn of a zigzag. <BR> <I>Ex. The foreign parties slavishly followed every zig and zag of Kremlin maneuvering (Wall Street Journal).</I> <DD><I>v.i. </I> to make the first movement or turn of a zigzag. <BR> <I>Ex. In the pursuit of this policy they zig and zag, change strategy and tactics, advance and retreat (New York Times).</I> </DL>
<A NAME="ziggurat">
<B>ziggurat, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD> an ancient Assyrian and Babylonian temple in the form of a great pyramid having stories each smaller than that below it, so as to leave a terrace at each level. Also, <B>zikkurat,</B> <B>zikurat.</B> </DL>
<A NAME="zigzag">
<B>zigzag, </B>adjective, adverb, verb, <B>-zagged,</B> <B>-zagging,</B> noun.<DL COMPACT><DD><I>adj. </I> having a series of short, sharp turns from one side to another; characterized by such turns. <BR> <I>Ex. zigzag lightning, to go in a zigzag direction.</I> (SYN) jagged, serrated, notched. <DD><I>adv. </I> with short, sharp turns from one side to the other. <BR> <I>Ex. The path ran zigzag up the hill.</I> <DD><I>v.i. </I> to move in a zigzag way. <BR> <I>Ex. Lightning zigzagged across the sky.</I> <DD><I>v.t. </I> to give a zigzag form to. <DD><I>noun </I> <B>1. </B>a zigzag line, course, or projection. <DD><B> 2. </B>one of the short, sharp turns of a zigzag. </DL>
<A NAME="zigzagstitch">
<B>zigzag stitch,</B><DL COMPACT><DD> a stitch made with a sewing machine in a zigzag pattern, for joining two edges in places where a straight-line stitch is difficult or awkward. </DL>
<A NAME="zikkurat">
<B>zikkurat</B> or <B>zikurat, </B>noun. =ziggurat.</DL>
<A NAME="zilch">
<B>zilch, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD> (U.S. Slang.) nothing at all; zero. <BR> <I>Ex. The Senator's lady ... says she knows that her real political power is approximately zilch (Harper's).</I> </DL>
<A NAME="zillah">
<B>zillah, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD> (formerly, in British India) an administrative division of a province. </DL>
<A NAME="zillion">
<B>zillion, </B>noun, adjective.<DL COMPACT><DD> (Slang.) <DD><I>noun </I> any very large, indefinite number. <DD><I>adj. </I> of such a number; very many; innumerable. </DL>
<A NAME="zilpah">
<B>Zilpah, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD> Leah's maid, mother of Gad and Asher (in the Bible, Genesis 30:9-13). </DL>
<A NAME="zimbabwean">
<B>Zimbabwean, </B>noun, adjective.<DL COMPACT><DD><I>noun </I> a native or inhabitant of Zimbabwe (formerly called Rhodesia). <DD><I>adj. </I> of or having to do with Zimbabwe or Zimbabweans. </DL>
<A NAME="zimbalon">
<B>zimbalon, </B>noun. =cymbalom.</DL>
<A NAME="zinc">
<B>zinc, </B>noun, verb, <B>zincked</B> or <B>zinced,</B> <B>zincking</B> or <B>zincing.</B><DL COMPACT><DD><I>noun </I> <B>1. </B>a hard, bluish-white, metallic chemical element that is brittle and little affected by air and moisture at ordinary temperatures. It is used for coating or galvanizing iron, for roofing, in alloys such as brass, in electric batteries, in paint, and in medicine. <DD><B> 2. </B>a piece of zinc used in a voltage cell. <DD><I>v.t. </I> to coat or cover with zinc or compound. </DL>
<A NAME="zincate">
<B>zincate, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD> a salt of zinc hydroxide when it acts as a feeble acid. </DL>
<A NAME="zincbacitracin">
<B>zinc bacitracin,</B><DL COMPACT><DD> the antibiotic bacitracin with 7 per cent zinc, used in medicine as flavoring, and as a silage preservative. </DL>
<B>zinc chloride,</B><DL COMPACT><DD> a water-soluble crystal or crystalline powder, used in galvanizing and electroplating and as a wood preservative, disinfectant, etc. </DL>
<A NAME="zincdust">
<B>zinc dust,</B><DL COMPACT><DD> a gray powder, usually containing zinc oxide, used as a reducing agent, a bleach, and in rust-resistant paints. </DL>
<A NAME="zincic">
<B>zincic, </B>adjective.<DL COMPACT><DD><B> 1. </B>having to do with zinc. <DD><B> 2. </B>consisting of zinc. <DD><B> 3. </B>containing zinc. <DD><B> 4. </B>resembling zinc. </DL>
<B>zincification, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD><B> 1. </B>the process of coating or impregnating an object with zinc. <DD><B> 2. </B>the state resulting from such a process. </DL>
<A NAME="zincify">
<B>zincify, </B>transitive verb, <B>-fied,</B> <B>-fying.</B><DL COMPACT><DD> to coat or impregnate with zinc; zinc. </DL>
<A NAME="zincite">
<B>zincite, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD> (Mineralogy.) a native zinc oxide, of a deep-red or orange-yellow color, also called red oxide of zinc or red zinc ore. It is an important source of zinc. </DL>
<B>zinc oxide,</B><DL COMPACT><DD> a compound of zinc and oxygen, used in making paint, rubber, glass, cosmetics, and ointments. It is an insoluble white powder. </DL>
<A NAME="zincphosphide">
<B>zinc phosphide,</B><DL COMPACT><DD> an insoluble, dark-gray powder, used chiefly as a rat poison. </DL>
<A NAME="zincsulfate">
<B>zinc sulfate,</B> =white vitriol.</DL>
<A NAME="zincsulfide">
<B>zinc sulfide,</B><DL COMPACT><DD> a yellowish or white powder occurring naturally as sphalerite. Zinc sulfide is used as a pigment and as a phosphor in television screens and on watch faces. </DL>
<A NAME="zincwhite">
<B>zinc white,</B><DL COMPACT><DD> zinc oxide used as a white pigment in paints. </DL>
