ziti, n.

ziti
http://www.oed.com/dictionary/ziti_n%3Ftab%3Dmeaning_and_use
Revised 2021

# zitinoun

## Earlier version

- zita in OED Second Edition (1989)

## Factsheet

### What does the noun ziti mean?

There is one meaning in OED's entry for the noun ziti. See ‘Meaning & use’ for definition, usage, and quotation evidence.

### How common is the noun ziti?

About 0.02occurrences per million words in modern written English

1850 | 0.0004
1860 | 0.0003
1870 | 0.0006
1880 | 0.0006
1890 | 0.0006
1900 | 0.001
1910 | 0.0012
1920 | 0.0017
1930 | 0.002
1940 | 0.0025
1950 | 0.0056
1960 | 0.011
1970 | 0.016
1980 | 0.02
1990 | 0.023
2000 | 0.027
2010 | 0.033

### How is the noun ziti pronounced?

#### British English

/ˈziːti/
ZEE-tee

#### U.S. English

/ˈzidi/
ZEE-dee

### Where does the noun ziti come from?

Earliest known use

1840s

The earliest known use of the noun ziti is in the 1840s.

OED's earliest evidence for ziti is from 1845, in the writing of Eliza Acton, writer on cookery and poet.

ziti is a borrowing from Italian.

Etymons: Italian zita, zito.

### Nearby entries

1. zit cream, n. 1968–
2. zitella, n. a1660–
3. zit-face, n. 1974–
4. zit-faced, adj. 1971–
5. zither, n. 1831–
6. zither, v. 1889–
7. zither banjo, n. 1888–
8. zithering, adj. 1889–
9. zitherist, n. 1866–
10. zither-like, adj. 1881–
11. ziti, n.1845–
12. zitty, adj. 1971–
13. Ziv, n. a1382–
14. zizania, n. 1526–
15. zizany, n. a1400–1803
16. zizel, n. 1775–
17. zizypha, n. 1546–1775
18. zizyphus, n.?1440–
19. zizz, v. 1883–
20. zizz, int. & n. 1824–
21. zizzing, n. 1884–

## Etymology

### Summary

A borrowing from Italian.
Etymons: Italian zita, zito.
< Italian zita in maccheroni di zita type of pasta (1839 or earlier as (regional: southern) maccaruni de zita) < maccheroni macaroni n. + di of + zita betrothed girl, bride, virgin (13th cent.), a variant…
< Italian zita in maccheroni di zita type of pasta (1839 or earlier as (regional: southern) maccaruni de zita) < maccheroni macaroni n. + di of + zita betrothed girl, bride, virgin (13th cent.), a variant (now chiefly regional: southern) of cita in the same sense (12th cent.); further origin uncertain.

### Notes

In later use directly < Italian zita (feminine, plural zite) type of pasta (1896 or earlier; short for maccheroni di zita) and (in the β forms) its variant zito (1912 or earlier; masculine, plural ziti).
In forms zite, ziti (used with singular or plural agreement) after the Italian plural forms.

## Meaning & use

1. 1845–
   A variety of pasta in the form of short hollow tubes resembling large macaroni; a dish of this pasta, typically served baked in a tomato sauce.
   1. 1845

      > Zita—Naples maccaroni.

      E. Acton, Modern Cookery (ed. 3) Vocab. of Terms p. xxx/2
   2. 1938

      > The manufacture of macaroni and similar products such as vermicelli, spaghetti, lasagna, ziti, pastina and paste all'uovo..in New York City..before 1914 was little more than a household industry.

      Italians of New York (Federal Writers' Project) xi. 182
   3. 1962

      > Specials of the house include..baked ziti with mozzarella.

      Montauk (New York) Pioneer Early July 11/1
   4. 1993

      > Use..dried tubular pasta for this hearty dish (pennette, penne, or ziti work well).

      Cottage Life March 62/3
   5. 1998

      > There was some ziti but it all got eaten.

      J. Manos & D. Chase, College (HBO TV shooting script) 52 in Sopranos 1st Series (OED Archive)
   food and cooking
   1. macaroon a1425–1753
      = macaroni, n. 1. Originally in plural. Obsolete.
   2. vermicelli a1668–
      A kind of pasta made in the form of long, slender, hard threads, and used as an article of diet. Cf. macaroni, n. 1a.
   3. macaroni 1673–
      A variety of pasta formed in short, narrow tubes, usually boiled and served with a sauce, esp. in Italian cookery; a dish consisting of this. (In…
   4. pipe macaroni 1778–
      Macaroni made in the form of long tubes.
   5. spaghetti 1845–
      A variety of pasta made in long thin strings. Occasionally, a dish of spaghetti.
   6. ziti 1845–
      A variety of pasta in the form of short hollow tubes resembling large macaroni; a dish of this pasta, typically served baked in a tomato sauce.
   7. angel hair 1890–
      A variety of pasta formed in long, fine threads; (also) a dish of this, typically served with a sauce or other accompaniment.
   8. mezzani 1895–
      A kind of pasta in the form of medium-sized tubes; an Italian dish consisting mainly of this, usually with a sauce.
   9. pappardelle 1899–
      A kind of pasta in the form of broad flat ribbons, similar to tagliatelle but wider, traditionally served with a meat (esp. game) sauce.
   10. mostaccioli 1904–
       A variety of pasta in the shape of short, hollow tubes with diagonally cut ends; a dish consisting of this.
   11. perciatelli 1906–
       A variety of pasta in the form of long hollow strands of larger diameter than spaghetti.
   12. rigatoni 1911–
       Pasta in the form of short hollow fluted tubes; a dish consisting of this pasta and usually a sauce. Also occasionally with plural agreement.
   13. fettuccine 1913–
       An Italian pasta made in strips or ribbons.
   14. orzo 1917–
       A variety of pasta formed in small pieces shaped like grains of barley or rice.
   15. penne 1919–
       A kind of pasta in the form of short hollow tubes cut diagonally at both ends; (also) a dish of this pasta, typically served with a sauce.
   16. linguine 1920–
       A type of pasta in the form of long narrow ribbons; (also) a dish of this, typically served with a sauce or other accompaniment.
   17. fusilli 1929–
       A variety of pasta in the form of (usually short) corkscrew-like spirals or twists.
   18. spag 1948–
       = spaghetti, n. 1a.
   19. rotini 1949–
       A variety of pasta in the form of small corkscrew-like spirals or twists and closely resembling fusilli.
   20. orecchiette 1950–
       A variety of pasta formed into small ear-shaped pieces.
   21. spaghettini 1953–
       A thin variety of spaghetti.
   22. rotelle 1956–
       A variety of pasta made in the shape of small wagon-wheels. Also: a type of pasta in the form of short spirals or twists and resembling fusilli; = r…
   23. stelline 1958–
       With plural agreement. Small, star-shaped pasta pieces.
   24. spaggers 1960–
       = spaghetti, n. 1a.
   25. conchiglie 1968–
       A variety of pasta made in the shape of conch shells.
   26. ruote 1972–
       A variety of pasta formed in the shape of small wagon-wheels. Cf. rotelle, n.
   27. manicotti 1983–
       Large tubular pasta shells (collectively); (also) a dish consisting of these, usually stuffed with cheese, tomatoes, meat, etc., and served with a…
   28. radiatore 1986–
       A variety of pasta in the form of short chunks circled by rows of deep, rippled ridges; a dish of this, typically served with sauce.
   View in Historical Thesaurus

## Pronunciation

### British English

/ˈziːti/
ZEE-tee

### U.S. English

/ˈzidi/
ZEE-dee

####

##### Consonants

- ppea
- ttea
- kkey
- bbuy
- ddye
- ɡguy
- tʃchore
- dʒjay
- ffore
- θthaw
- ssore
- ʃshore
- vvee
- ðthee
- zzee
- ʒbeige
- xloch
- hhay
- llay
- ɬrhingyll
- rray
- wway
- jyore
- mmay
- nnay
- ŋsing

Some consonants can take the function of the vowel in unstressed syllables. Where necessary, a syllabic marker diacritic is used, hence /ˈpɛtl/ but /ˈpɛtl̩i/.

##### Vowels

- iːfleece
- ihappy
- ɪkit
- ɛdress
- atrap, bath
- ɑːstart, palm, bath
- ɒlot
- ɔːthought, force
- ʌstrut
- ʊfoot
- uːgoose
- əletter
- əːnurse
- ɪənear
- ɛːsquare
- ʊəcure
- eɪface
- ʌɪpride
- aʊmouth
- əʊgoat
- ɔɪvoice
- ãgratin
- ɒ̃salon
- ᵻ(/ɪ/-/ə/)
- ᵿ(/ʊ/-/ə/)

##### Other symbols

- The symbol ˈ at the beginning of a syllable indicates that that syllable is pronounced with primary stress.
- The symbol ˌ at the beginning of a syllable indicates that that syllable is pronounced with secondary stress.
- Round brackets ( ) in a transcription indicate that the symbol within the brackets is optional.

View the pronunciation model here.

####

##### Consonants

- ppea
- ttea
- kkey
- bbuy
- ddye*
- ɡguy
- tʃchore
- dʒjay
- ffore
- θthaw
- ssore
- ʃshore
- vvee
- ðthee
- zzee
- ʒbeige
- xloch
- hhay
- llay
- rray
- wway
- jyore
- mmay
- nnay
- ŋsing

* /d/ also represents a 'tapped' /t/ as in

Some consonants can take the function of the vowel in unstressed syllables. Where necessary, a syllabic marker diacritic is used, hence /ˈpɛd(ə)l/ but /ˈpɛdl̩i/.

##### Vowels

- ifleece, happy
- ɪkit
- ɛdress
- ætrap, bath
- ɑlot, palm, cloth, thought
- ɑrstart
- ɔcloth, thought
- ɔrnorth, force
- ʊfoot
- ugoose
- əstrut, comma
- ərnurse, letter
- ɪ(ə)rnear
- ɛ(ə)rsquare
- ʊ(ə)rcure
- eɪface
- aɪpride
- aʊmouth
- oʊgoat
- ɔɪvoice
- ɑ̃gratin
- æ̃salon
- ᵻ(/ɪ/-/ə/)
- ᵿ(/ʊ/-/ə/)

##### Other symbols

- The symbol ˈ at the beginning of a syllable indicates that that syllable is pronounced with primary stress.
- The symbol ˌ at the beginning of a syllable indicates that that syllable is pronounced with secondary stress.
- Round brackets ( ) in a transcription indicate that the symbol within the brackets is optional.

View the pronunciation model here.

####

Simple text respell breaks words into syllables, separated by a hyphen. The syllable which carries the primary stress is written in capital letters. This key covers both British and U.S. English Simple Text Respell.

##### Consonants

b, d, f, h, k, l, m, n, p, r, s, t, v, w and z have their standard English values

- gguy
- jjay
- yyore
- chchore
- khloch
- shshore
- ththaw
- dhthee
- zhbeige

##### Vowels

- atrap
- ahpalm
- airsquare
- arstart
- arrcarry (British only)
- awthought
- ayface
- a(ng)gratin
- edress
- eefleece
- eerdeer
- errmerry
- ikit
- ighpride
- irrmirror
- olot (British only)
- ohgoat
- oogoose
- oorcure
- orforce
- orrsorry (British only)
- owmouth
- oyvoice
- o(ng)salon
- ustrut
- uhletter
- urnurse
- urrhurry
- uufoot

## Forms

### Variant forms

##### α.

1. 1800s–
   zita
2. 1900s–
   zite

##### β.

1. 1900s–
   ziti, zito

## Frequency

ziti typically occurs about 0.02 times per million words in modern written English.

ziti is in frequency band 3, which contains words occurring between 0.01 and 0.1 times per million words in modern written English. More about OED's frequency bands

Frequency data is computed programmatically, and should be regarded as an estimate.

### Frequency of ziti, n., 1850–2010

* 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
--- | ---
1850 | 0.0004
1860 | 0.0003
1870 | 0.0006
1880 | 0.0006
1890 | 0.0006
1900 | 0.001
1910 | 0.0012
1920 | 0.0017
1930 | 0.002
1940 | 0.0025
1950 | 0.0056
1960 | 0.011
1970 | 0.016
1980 | 0.02
1990 | 0.023
2000 | 0.027
2010 | 0.033

### Frequency of ziti, n., 2017–2024

* Occurrences per million words in written English

Modern frequency series are derived from a corpus of 20 billion words, covering the period from 2017 to the present. The corpus is mainly compiled from online news sources, and covers all major varieties of World English.

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 corpus.

Period | Frequency per million words
--- | ---
2017 | 0.025
2018 | 0.024
2019 | 0.022
2020 | 0.023
2021 | 0.02
2022 | 0.021
2023 | 0.021
2024 | 0.023

ziti, n. was revised in March 2021.

ziti, n. was last modified in September 2024.