zestinessnoun
Factsheet
What does the noun zestiness mean?
There is one meaning in OED's entry for the noun zestiness. See ‘Meaning & use’ for definition, usage, and quotation evidence.
How common is the noun zestiness?
| 1970 | 0.0007 |
| 1980 | 0.0008 |
| 1990 | 0.0008 |
| 2000 | 0.0008 |
| 2010 | 0.0009 |
Where does the noun zestiness come from?
Earliest known use
1910s
The earliest known use of the noun zestiness is in the 1910s.
OED's earliest evidence for zestiness is from 1912, in Country Life in America.
Nearby entries
- zero waste, adj. & n.1974–
- zero-zero, adj. & n.1930–
- zerumbet, n.1640–
- zest, n.¹1674–
- zest, n.²1706
- zest, v.1702–
- zest, int.1705–22
- zester, n.1963–
- zestful, adj.1797–
- zestfully, adv.1843–
- zestiness, n.1912–
- zesty, adj.1826–
- zeta, n.¹?a1425–
- zeta, n.²1706–1860
- zetacism, n.1860–
- zeta function, n.1879–
- zeta-ic, adj.1840–1927
- zeta potential, n.1927–
- zetetic, adj. & n.1645–
- zetetical, adj. & n.1646–
- zetetically, adv.1665–
Meaning & use
- 1912–The quality or state of being zesty (in various senses).Stressed as ˈzestiness.
- 1912
Old family recipes of generations ago—famous for their fine flavor and zestiness.
Country Life in America November 70/1 (advertisement) - 1977
A romantic comedy with the zestiness and boisterous humor of folk take.
New York Times 9 May 27/2 - 2016
This smooth and nutty white has..a really appealing zestiness to its fresh citrus acidity.
Daily Record (Glasgow) (Nexis) 23 April (Sat. Magazine) 7
- delicacya1393–1873The quality of being delicious or very appetizing; deliciousness. Obsolete.
- savourinessa1398–The quality of being savoury or appetizing; savoury taste or flavour. Also figurative.
- deliciousnessa1450–The quality of being delicious or extremely pleasing, esp. to the senses (particularly the taste or smell); delectableness; delightfulness; (now…
- delicateness?1529–The quality of being delicate (in various senses).
- daintiness1552–†a. The quality of being attractive, delightful, or refined. Obsolete in a general sense. b. With reference to food: the quality of being…
- toothsomeness1612–
- piquantness1648–= piquancy, n.
- palatableness1721–= palatability, n.
- tastefulness1727–The quality or state of being tasteful (in various senses).
- fumet1735–The scent or smell of game when high; game flavour. Also, a concentrated fish stock used for flavouring.
- lightness1799–Delicacy, subtlety, or freshness of flavour, aroma, etc.
- palatability1850–The quality of being palatable; pleasant or agreeable flavour. Also figurative.
- zestiness1912–The quality or state of being zesty (in various senses).
- savour?c1225–Pleasing, enjoyable, or attractive quality; merit, value. Now frequently in negative constructions.
- sauce1561–figurative. Something which adds to, modifies, or has a significant effect on an experience, situation, action, etc.; an affecting circumstance or…
- haut-goût1650–1710figurative. ‘Flavour’, ‘spice’.
- rocambole1702figurative. Something which provides piquancy or zest. Obsolete. rare.
- zest1709–figurative. Something which imparts excitement, energy, or interest; a stimulating or invigorating quality which adds to the enjoyment or…
- sauce piquante1759–A sauce with sharp, tangy, or spicy flavour; (figurative and in figurative contexts) something regarded as having an arresting, exciting, or…
- Tabasco1894–More fully Tabasco (pepper) sauce. figurative and in figurative contexts. A person or thing likened to Tabasco sauce, esp. in being caustic or…
- zestiness1977–The quality or state of being zesty (in various senses).
Frequency
zestiness typically occurs fewer than 0.01 times per million words in modern written English.
zestiness is in frequency band 1, which contains words occurring fewer than 0.001 times per million words in modern written English. More about OED's frequency bands
Frequency of zestiness, n., 1970–2010
* Occurrences per million words in written English
Historical frequency series are derived from Google Books Ngrams (version 2), a data set based on the Google Books corpus of several million books printed in English between 1500 and 2010.
The overall frequency for a given word is calculated by summing frequencies for the main form of the word, any plural or inflected forms, and any major spelling variations.
For sets of homographs (distinct entries that share the same word-form, e.g. mole, n.¹, mole, n.², mole, n.³, etc.), we have estimated the frequency of each homograph entry as a fraction of the total Ngrams frequency for the word-form. This may result in inaccuracies.
Smoothing has been applied to series for lower-frequency words, using a moving-average algorithm. This reduces short-term fluctuations, which may be produced by variability in the content of the Google Books corpus.
| Decade | Frequency per million words |
|---|---|
| 1970 | 0.0007 |
| 1980 | 0.0008 |
| 1990 | 0.0008 |
| 2000 | 0.0008 |
| 2010 | 0.0009 |