Zein, zē′in, n. a proteid found in Indian corn. [Zea.]
Zeitgeist, tsīt′gīst, n. the spirit of the age. [Ger.]
Zel, zel, n. a form of Oriental cymbal. [Pers. zil.]
Zelotypia, zel-ō-tip′i-a, n. morbid zeal in the prosecution of any project or cause. [Gr. zēlotypia, jealousy, zēlos, zeal, typtein, to strike.]
Zemindar, zem-in-dar′, n. under the Mogul emperors of India, the farmer of revenue from land held in common by the cultivators, as responsible for the revenue—now the actual native proprietor paying revenue direct, and not to any intermediate superior—also Zamindar′.—n. Zem′indary, the jurisdiction of a zemindar, the system of land-tenure and taxation under such—also Zam′indari, Zem′indari, &c. [Pers. zemīndār, a landholder.]
Zemstvo, zems′tvō, n. in Russia, a district and provincial assembly to which the administration of the economic affairs of the district and the province was committed in 1866, but whose rights were much curtailed in 1890. [Russ.]
Zenana, ze-nä′na, n. the apartments in which Indian women are secluded, corresponding to the harem in Arabic-speaking Moslem lands.—Zenana mission, a mission to Hindu women, necessarily conducted by women. [Pers. zanāna—zan, a woman.]
Zend, zend, n. the ancient East-Iranian and purely Aryan language, in which the Zend-Avesta was long orally preserved and at last written—closely related to the Vedic Sanskrit.—Zend-Avesta, the ancient sacred writings of the Parsees, including works of widely differing character and age, collected into their present canon under Shah-puhar II. (Shah-pur II.; 309-338 A.D.). [A word meaning 'commentary' (zend=zand, from Sans. jñâ, to know).]
Zendik, zen′dik, n. an unbeliever in revealed religion in the East, one who practises magic. [Ar. zendīq.]
Zenith, zen′ith, n. that point of the heavens which is exactly overhead—i.e. in line with the spectator's position and the centre of the earth (it is thus the upper pole of the spectator's horizon, as the nadir is the under pole): greatest height, summit of ambition, &c.—adj. Zen′ithal.—ns. Zen′ith-dis′tance, the angular distance of a heavenly body from the zenith; Zen′ith-sec′tor, an instrument for measuring zenith-distances. [Fr., through Sp. zenit, from Ar. samt, short for samt-ur-ras, lit. 'way of the head.']