Lexicon: zealous – zodiac



zealous, adj. [med. L. zēlōsus.]

Ardent; eager; enthusiastic; earnest; enduring; dedicated.

zealous, adv. [see zealous, adj.] (webplay: little).

Busily; diligently; industriously; tirelessly; with determination; with concentration; in a focused manner.

zenith, n. [OFr or Med L. < Arab. samt, lit way or path over the head.] (webplay: passing).

Apex; climax; crescendo; peak; pinnacle; summit; visible point in the celestial hemisphere; direct perpendicular line from a point above a person to the center of the earth; [fig.] astronomy; calculation; science; knowledge.

zephyr, n. [L. zephyrus < Gk.]

  1. West wind; soft breeze; gentle current; gentle flow of air; [personification] sylvan deity; poetic god of nature.
  2. Breath; small wind force; weak puff of air.

zero (zeroes), n. [Fr. or It. zero < Arab. cifra, arithmetic symbol meaning zero, nought, empty, void; trans. < Sanscrit.]

Cipher; zed; nothing; naught; [metaphor] cold; frigid weather; temperature below freezing; [fig.] death; rigor mortis; point at which blood congeals; lack of living body warmth.

zest, n. [Fr. zeste, walnut fiber; lemon or orange peel < unknown origin.]

Pleasure; bliss; gusto; relish; savor; flavor; satisfaction; [fig.] ecstasy; energy; life; gusto; passion.

zigzag, adj. [Fr. zigzag < unknown origin.]

Crisscross; akimbo; angled; back and forth; having short turns; moving from side to side; placed in different directions; [fig.] crooked; clumsy; uneven; irregular; asymmetrical; not straight; [metaphor] unpoetic; not metrical; out of rhythm.

Zinzebar (Zenzibar), proper n. [ED variant of Zanzibar; Arabic zinj, black + Iranian/Arabic barr, land, coast, country, shore.]

A tropical island; isle off the east coast of Africa; [fig;] paradise; Eden; exotic place.

Zion, proper n. [L. and Gk < Heb. ןיאצ, sunny, desolate.]

One of the hills of Jerusalem; the City of David was built here and became the center of Jewish life and worship; [fig.] heaven; utopia; household of God; Israelites and their religious system; the Christian Church; a place of worship or meeting-house; (see ED letters).

zodiac, n. [OFr < L. < Gk 'circle of figures or signs'; 'sculpted figure of an animal'.]

Rotating pattern of stars visible in the night sky; broad circle in the heavens containing twelve astrological signs in relation to the annual course of the sun.