Z (ze; in England commonly, and in America sometimes, zed; formerly, also, iz"zerd) Z, the twenty-sixth and last letter of the English alphabet, is a vocal consonant. It is taken from the Latin letter Z, which came from the Greek alphabet, this having it from a Semitic source. The ultimate origin is probably Egyptian. Etymologically, it is most closely related to s, y, and j; as in gla ss, gla ze; E. yoke, Gr., L. yugum; E. zealous, jealous. See Guide to Pronunciation, §§ 273, 274.

Za, n. (Min.) An old solfeggio name for B flat; the seventh harmonic, as heard in the or aeolian string; — so called by Tartini. It was long considered a false, but is the true note of the chord of the flat seventh. H. W. Poole. { Za´ba•ism, Za´bism }, n. See Sabianism.

Zabian
Za´bi•an, a. & n. See Sabian.

Zacco
Zac´co, n. (Arch.) See Zocco.

Zachun
Za•chun´, n. (Bot.) An oil pressed by the Arabs from the fruit of a small thorny tree ( Balanites AEgyptiaca), and sold to piligrims for a healing ointment. J. Smith (Dict. Econ. Plants).

Zaerthe
Zaer´the, n. (Zoöl.) Same as Zärthe.

Zaffer
Zaf´fer, n. [F. zafre, safre; cf. Sp. zafra, safra, It. saffera, G. zaffer; all probably of Arabic origin. Cf. Zaphara.] A pigment obtained, usually by roasting cobalt glance with sand or quartz, as a dark earthy powder. It consists of crude cobalt oxide, or of an impure cobalt arseniate. It is used in porcelain painting, and in enameling pottery, to produce a blue color, and is often confounded with smalt, from which, however, it is distinct, as it contains no potash. The name is often loosely applied to mixtures of zaffer proper with silica, or oxides of iron, manganese, etc. [Written also zaffre, and formerly zaffree, zaffar, zaffir.]

Zaim ( 277), n. [Turk. & Ar. za’im.] A Turkish chief who supports a mounted militia bearing the same name. Smart.

Zaimet
Zaim´et ( 277), n. [Turk. & Ar. za’imet.] A district from which a Zaim draws his revenue. Smart.

Zain, n. A horse of a dark color, neither gray nor white, and having no spots. Smart.

Zalambdodont
Za•lamb´do•dont, a. (Zoöl.) Of or pertaining to a tribe ( Zalambdodonta) of Insectivora in which the molar teeth have but one V-shaped ridge.

Zalambdodont
Za•lamb´do•dont, n. One of the Zalambdodonta. The tenrec, solenodon, and golden moles are examples.

Zamang
Za•mang´, n. (Bot.) An immense leguminous tree ( Pithecolobium Saman) 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 rain tree. J. Smith (Dict. Econ. Plants).

Zambo
Zam´bo, n. ; pl. Zambos (#). [See Sambo.] 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
Za´mi•a, n. [L. zamia a kind of fir cone, from Gr.,, hurt, damage. See Plin. xvi. 44.] (Bot.) A genus of cycadaceous plants, having the appearance of low palms, but with exogenous wood. See Coontie, and Illust. of Strobile.

Zamindar
Zam•in•dar´, n. [Hind. zemindar, zamindar, a landholder, Per. zamindar; zamin land dar holding.] A landowner; also a collector of land revenue; now, usually, a kind of feudatory recognized as an actual proprietor so long as he pays to the government a certain fixed revenue. [Written also zemindar.] [India] { Zam´in•da•ry, Zam´in•da•ri }, n. The jurisdiction of a zamindar; the land possessed by a zamindar. [Written also zemindary, zemindari.]