Z to Zenith
Z
(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 glass, glaze; E. yoke, Gr. L.
yugum; E. zealous, jealous. See Guide to Pronunciation, §§ 273, 274.
Za
(Za) n. (Min.) An old solfeggio name for B flat; the seventh harmonic, as heard in the or æolian 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.
Zabaism
(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 and sold
to piligrims for a healing ointment. J. Smith
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
(||Zaim) n. [Turk. & Ar. za'im.] A Turkish chief who supports a mounted militia bearing the same
name. Smart.
Zaimet
(||Zaim"et) n. [Turk. & Ar. za'imet.] A district from which a Zaim draws his revenue. Smart.
Zain
(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
