Zea, zē′a, n. a cereal having monœcious flowers. The only species is Z. mays, the well-known maize or Indian corn. [Gr.]
Zeal, zēl, n. boiling or passionate ardour for anything: enthusiasm.—n. Zeal′ant (Bacon), a zealot or enthusiast.—adj. Zeal′less, wanting zeal.—ns. Zealot (zel′ot), one full of zeal: an enthusiast: a fanatic: one of a fanatical Jewish party whose restless opposition to the Roman domination finally brought about the ruin of Jerusalem in 70 A.D.; Zealotism (zel′-), the character of a zealot; Zealotry (zel′-).—adj. Zealous (zel′-), full of zeal: warmly engaged or ardent in anything.—adv. Zealously (zel′-).—n. Zealousness (zel′-). [O. Fr. zele—L. zelus—Gr. zēlos, zeein, to boil. Cf. Yeast.]
Zebec, Zebeck=Xebec (q.v.).
Zebra, zē′bra, n. a generic name given to the group of striped Equidæ—all of which are peculiar to the African continent—and thus including the Dauw or Burchell's Zebra, the Quagga, and the true or Mountain Zebra.—n. Zē′bra-wood, the hard and beautifully striped wood of a Guiana tree.—adj. Zē′brine, like the zebra. [Of African origin.]
Zebu, zē′bū, n. the humped domestic ox of India (or Brahminy bull), a kind of ox very nearly allied to the common ox, diffused over India, China, the east coast of Africa, &c. [Fr. zébu, the whimsical name taken by Buffon from the exhibitors of such a beast at a French fair as if African.]
Zebub, zē′bub, n. an Abyssinian fly hurtful to cattle, similar to the tsetse. [Ar. zubāb, a fly.]
Zecchino, tsek-kē′nō, n. a Venetian gold coin, the same as the sequin (q.v.).
Zechstein, zek′stīn, n. a deposit of calcareous rock which covers the Kupfer-schiefer. [Ger.,—zeche, a mine, stein, a stone.]
Zed, zed, n. the letter Z, also called zee and izzard: a bar of metal of form similar to the letter Z.
Zedoary, zed′ō-ā-ri, n. certain species of curcuma, natives of India, China, &c., whose root-stocks (rhizomes) are aromatic, bitter, pungent, and tonic, and used for similar purposes with ginger—a powerful sudorific. [Ar. Jedwar.]