Zea
Ze´a (ze"a), n. [L., a kind of grain, fr. Gr. ze•a, zeia•; cf. Skr. yava barley.] (Bot.) A genus of large grasses of which the Indian corn ( Zea Mays) is the only species known. Its origin is not yet ascertained. See Maize.

Zeal (zel), n. [F. zèle; cf. Pg. & It. zelo, Sp. zelo, celo; from L. zelus, Gr., probably akin to to boil. Cf. Yeast, Jealous.]
1. Passionate ardor in the pursuit of anything; eagerness in favor of a person or cause; ardent and active interest; engagedness; enthusiasm; fervor. "Ambition varnished o’er with zeal." Milton. "Zeal, the blind conductor of the will." Dryden. "Zeal’s never-dying fire." Keble.
"I bear them record that they have a zeal of God, but not according to knowledge." Rom. x. 2.
"A zeal for liberty is sometimes an eagerness to subvert with little care what shall be established." Johnson.
2. A zealot. [Obs.] B. Jonson.

Zeal, v. i. To be zealous. [Obs. & R.] Bacon.

Zealotical
Zea•lot´ic•al, a. Like, or suitable to, a zealot; ardently zealous. [R.] Strype.

Zebec
Ze´bec, n. (Naut.) See Xebec.

Zebra
Ze´bra, n. [Pg. zebra; cf. Sp. cebra; probably from a native African name.] (Zoöl.) Either one of two species of South African wild horses remarkable for having the body white or yellowish white, and conspicuously marked with dark brown or brackish bands. The true or mountain zebra ( Equus, or Asinus, zebra) is nearly white, and the bands which cover the body and legs are glossy black. Its tail has a tuft of black hair at the tip. It inhabits the mountains of Central and Southern Africa, and is noted for its wariness and wildness, as well as for its swiftness. The second species ( Equus, or Asinus, Burchellii), known as Burchell’s zebra, and dauw, inhabits the grassy plains of South Africa, and differs from the preceding in not having dark bands on the legs, while those on the body are more irregular. It has a long tail, covered with long white flowing hair. Zebra caterpillar, the larva of an American noctuid moth ( Mamestra picta). It is light yellow, with a broad black stripe on the back and one on each side; the lateral stripes are crossed with withe lines. It feeds on cabbages, beets, clover, and other cultivated plants. — Zebra opossum, the zebra wolf. See under Wolf. — Zebra parrakeet, an Australian grass parrakeet, often kept as a cage bird. Its upper parts are mostly pale greenish yellow, transversely barred with brownish black crescents; the under parts, rump, and upper tail coverts, are bright green; two central tail feathers and the cheek patches are blue. Called also canary parrot, scallop parrot, shell parrot, and undulated parrot. — Zebra poison (Bot.), a poisonous tree ( Euphorbia arborea) of the Spurge family, found in South Africa. Its milky juice is so poisonous that zebras have been killed by drinking water in which its branches had been placed, and it is also used as an arrow poison. J. Smith (Dict. Econ. Plants). — Zebra shark. Same as Tiger shark, under Tiger. — Zebra spider, a hunting spider. — Zebra swallowtail, a very large North American swallow-tailed butterfly ( Iphiclides ajax), in which the wings are yellow, barred with black; — called also ajax. — Zebra wolf. See under Wolf.

Zebrawood
Ze´bra•wood, n. (a) A kind of cabinet wood having beautiful black, brown, and whitish stripes, the timber of a tropical American tree ( Connarus Guianensis). (b) The wood of a small West Indian myrtaceous tree ( Eugenia fragrans). (c) The wood of an East Indian tree of the genus Guettarda.

Zechstein
Zech´stein, n. [Gr., fr. zeche a mine + stein a stone.] (Geol.) The upper division of the Permian (Dyas) of Europe. The prevailing rock is a magnesian limestone.

Zedoary
Zed´o•a•ry, n. [F. zedoaire, LL. zedoaria; cf. It. zedoaria, zettovario, Pg. zedoaria, Sp. zedoaria, cedoaria; all fr. Ar. & Per. zedwr.] (Med.) 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. It is the rhizome of different species of Curcuma, esp. C. zedoaria, and comes in short, firm pieces, externally of a wrinkled gray, ash-colored appearance, but within of a brownish red color. There are two kinds, round zedoary, and long zedoary.

Zeitgeist
Zeit´geist, n. [G.; zeit time + geist spirit. See Tide, n. ; Ghost, n. ] The spirit of the time; the general intellectual and moral state or temper characteristic of any period of time.

Zemindar
Zem•in•dar´, n. Same as Zamindar. { Zem´in•da•ry, Zem´in•da•ri }, n. Same as Zamindary.

Zemni
Zem´ni, n. (Zoöl.) The blind mole rat ( Spalax typhlus), native of Eastern Europe and Asia. Its eyes and ears are rudimentary, and its fur is soft and brownish, more or less tinged with gray. It constructs extensive burrows.

Zend-Avesta
Zend•-A•ves´ta, n. [Properly, the Avesta, or sacred text, and its zend, or interpretation, in a more modern and intelligible language. W. D. Whitney.] The sacred writings of the ancient Persian religion, attributed to Zoroaster, but chiefly of a later date.

Zenith
Ze´nith ( 277), n. [OE. senyth, OF. cenith, F. zenith, Sp. zenit, cenit, abbrev. fr. Ar. samt-urras way of the head, vertical place; samt way, path + a. the + ras head. Cf. Azimuth.]
1. That point in the visible celestial hemisphere which is vertical to the spectator; the point of the heavens directly overhead; — opposed to nadir.
"From morn To noon he fell, from noon to dewy eve, A summer’s day; and with the setting sun Dropped from the zenith, like a falling star." Milton.
2. hence, figuratively, the point of culmination; the greatest height; the height of success or prosperity.
"I find my zenith doth depend upon A most auspicious star." Shak.
"This dead of midnight is the noon of thought, And wisdom mounts her zenith with the stars." Mrs. Barbauld.
"It was during those civil troubles … this aspiring family reached the zenith." Macaulay. Zenith distance. (Astron.) See under Distance. — Zenith sector. (Astron.) See Sector, 3. — Zenith telescope (Geodesy), a telescope specially designed for determining the latitude by means of any two stars which pass the meridian about the same time, and at nearly equal distances from the zenith, but on opposite sides of it. It turns both on a vertical and a horizontal axis, is provided with a graduated vertical semicircle, and a level for setting it to a given zenith distance, and with a micrometer for measuring the difference of the zenith distances of the two stars.

Zenithal
Ze´nith•al, a. Of or pertaining to the zenith. "The deep zenithal blue." Tyndall.

Zeppelin
Zep•pe•lin´ (tsep•pe•le"; Angl. zep"pe•lin), n. 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 Ferdinand Count von Zeppelin.

Zerda
Zer´da, n. [Of African origin.] (Zoöl.) The fennec.

Zero
Ze´ro, n. ; pl. Zeros (#) or Zeroes. [F. zero, from Ar. çafrun, çifrun, empty, a cipher. Cf. Cipher.]
1. (Arith.) A cipher; nothing; naught.
2. The point from which the graduation of a scale, as of a thermometer, commences. Zero in the Centigrade, or Celsius thermometer, and in the Reaumur thermometer, is at the point at which water congeals. The zero of the Fahrenheit thermometer is fixed at the point at which the mercury stands when immersed in a mixture of snow and common salt. In Wedgwood’s pyrometer, the zero corresponds with 1077° on the Fahrenheit scale. See Illust. of Thermometer.
3. Fig.: The lowest point; the point of exhaustion; as his patience had nearly reached zero. Absolute zero. See under Absolute. — Zero method (Physics), a method of comparing, or measuring, forces, electric currents, etc., by so opposing them that the pointer of an indicating apparatus, or the needle of a galvanometer, remains at, or is brought to, zero, as contrasted with methods in which the deflection is observed directly; — called also null method. — Zero point, the point indicating zero, or the commencement of a scale or reckoning.

Zest, n. [F. zeste, probably fr. L. schistos split, cleft, divided, Gr., from to split, cleave. Cf. Schism.]
1. A piece of orange or lemon peel, or the aromatic oil which may be squeezed from such peel, used to give flavor to liquor, etc.
2. Hence, something that gives or enhances a pleasant taste, or the taste itself; an appetizer; also keen enjoyment; relish; gusto.
"Almighty Vanity! to thee they owe Their zest of pleasure, and their balm of woe." Young.
"Liberality of disposition and conduct gives the highest zest and relish to social intercourse." Gogan.
3. The woody, thick skin inclosing the kernel of a walnut. [Obs.]

Zest, v. t. [ imp. & p. p. Zested; p. pr. & vb. n. Zesting.]
1. To cut into thin slips, as the peel of an orange, lemon, etc.; to squeeze, as peel, over the surface of anything.
2. To give a relish or flavor to; to heighten the taste or relish of; as to zest wine. Gibber.

Zeta
Ze´ta, n. [L., from Gr. . Cf. Zed.] A Greek letter [ζ] corresponding to our z.

Zetetic
Ze•tet´ic, a. [Gr., fr. to seek: cf. F. zetetique.] Seeking; proceeding by inquiry. Zetetic method (Math.), the method used for finding the value of unknown quantities by direct search, in investigation, or in the solution of problems. [R.] Hutton.

Zetetic
Ze•tet´ic, n. A seeker; — a name adopted by some of the Pyrrhonists.

Zeuglodon
Zeu´glo•don, n. [Gr. the strap or loop of a yoke +,, tooth.] (Paleon.) 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 Phocodontia.

Zeuglodont
Zeu´glo•dont, (Zoöl.) Any species of Zeuglodonta.

Zeugma
Zeug´ma, n. [L., from Gr., fr. to yoke, join. See Yoke.] (Gram.) A figure by which an adjective or verb, which agrees with a nearer word, is, by way of supplement, referred also to another more remote; as "hic illius arma, hic currus fuit;" where fuit, which agrees directly with currus, is referred also to arma.

Zeugmatic
Zeug•mat´ic, a. Of or pertaining to zeugma; characterized by zeugma.

Zeus, n. (Gr. Myth.) The chief deity of the Greeks, and ruler of the upper world (cf. Hades). He was identified with Jupiter.

Zeuzerian
Zeu•ze´ri•an, n. (Zoöl.) Any one of a group of bombycid moths of which the genus Zeuzera is the type. Some of these moths are of large size. The goat moth is an example.