zealot |
a person who is excessively and often intolerantly zealous, esp. about a cause or religious faith; fanatic. |
zealous |
characterized by, showing, or filled with an intense enthusiasm, as toward a cause, purpose, or activity. |
zebec |
variant of xebec. |
zebra |
any of various horselike mammals, native to Africa, that have black and white or dark brown stripes on a whitish body. |
zebra crossing |
(chiefly British) a painted pathway of black and white stripes across a road that indicates where pedestrians may cross safely. |
zebrafish |
a small freshwater tropical fish that has zebralike stripes and is often kept in aquariums. |
zebu |
a domesticated oxlike animal, native to Asia, that has a large hump over its shoulders and loose, fleshy skin at its throat. |
Zeitgeist |
the spirit of the age (German); the popular outlook or trend of a particular period or generation. |
Zen |
a type of Buddhism, now practiced in Japan, Korea, and Vietnam, that emphasizes individual spiritual enlightenment through meditation. [2 definitions] |
Zend |
a Middle Persian translation and interpretation of the Avesta. |
Zend-Avesta |
the Zoroastrian sacred writings together with their Zendic commentaries. |
zenith |
the point in the sky that is directly over the head of the observer. (Cf. nadir.) [2 definitions] |
zeolite |
any of a group of naturally hydrated aluminum silicates that readily gain or lose water of hydration. [2 definitions] |
Zephaniah |
according to the Old Testament, a minor prophet of Israel of the seventh century B.C. [2 definitions] |
zephyr |
a soft breeze. |
zeppelin |
(sometimes cap.) a rigid airship with a long, cylindrical body; dirigible. |
zero |
the number represented by the Arabic numeral 0; cipher. [5 definitions] |
zero-base |
having each budget expenditure justified on a basis of cost or need without consideration for the expenditures of a previous budget. |
zero gravity |
the condition of apparent weightlessness, as of a body in orbit, when the apparent effect of gravity is zero. |
zero hour |
the time at which a military attack or other operation is scheduled to begin. [2 definitions] |
zero population growth |
a condition in a given population in which the number of live births equals the number of deaths, so that the population remains constant. |