Zener, n.¹

zener
http://www.oed.com/dictionary/zener_n1%3Ftab%3Dmeaning_and_use
Revised 2018

# Zenernoun1

## Earlier version

- Zener in OED Second Edition (1989)

## Factsheet

### What does the noun Zener mean?

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

### How is the noun Zener pronounced?

#### British English

/ˈziːnə/
ZEE-nuh
/ˈzɛnə/
ZEN-uh

#### U.S. English

/ˈzinər/
ZEE-nuhr
/ˈzɛnər/
ZEN-uhr

### Where does the noun Zener come from?

Earliest known use

1930s

The earliest known use of the noun Zener is in the 1930s.

OED's earliest evidence for Zener is from 1934, in the writing of J. B. Rhine.

From a proper name.

Etymons: proper name Zener.

### Nearby entries

1. Zend-Avesta, n. 1630–
2. Zend-Avestaic, adj. 1816
3. Zend-Avestan, adj. & n. 1871–
4. Zend-Avestic, adj. 1864–
5. Zendic, n. & adj. 1771–
6. Zendician, n. a1833–66
7. Zendicism, n. 1697–
8. Zendish, adj. & n. 1802–1921
9. Zendist, n. 1877–1907
10. zendo, n. 1914–
11. Zener, n.¹1934–
12. Zener, n.² 1949–
13. Zengakuren, n. 1950–
14. Zen garden, n. 1937–
15. zenick, n. 1801–1900
16. zenitfer, n. 1596–
17. zenith, n. & adj. a1387–
18. zenithal, adj.?1731–
19. zenithal projection, n. 1877–
20. zenith-borne, adj. 1865–86
21. zenith distance, n. 1588–

## Etymology

### Summary

From a proper name.
Etymon: proper name Zener.
< the name of Karl Edward Zener (1903–64), U.S. psychologist, who invented the cards in 1930…
< the name of Karl Edward Zener (1903–64), U.S. psychologist, who invented the cards in 1930.

### Notes

The cards were apparently named in Zener's honour by his colleague J. B. Rhine (1895–1980), U. S. psychologist.

## Meaning & use

1. 1934–
   attributive. Designating a set of cards designed for use in parapsychology experiments, the symbols used on these cards, or a test conducted using them.
   Zener cards were developed as a means of investigating the possibility of extrasensory perception. A set consists of 25 cards, each showing one of five simple symbols, the likelihood of a subject guessing the symbol correctly by chance being one in five for each card.
   1. 1934

      > We have once since substituted a ‘heart’ for the ‘waves’ figure but later returned to the latter. I shall hereinafter call these cards the ‘Zener cards’.

      J. B. Rhine, Extra-sensory Perception iv. 50
   2. 1941

      > The guesser at Zener cards all unwittingly was guessing correctly..a card which was one or two places earlier or later in the sequence.

      Proceedings of Society Psychical Research 1940–1 vol. 46 153
   3. 1951

      > On each letter box was pinned one of the five Zener symbols.

      Proceedings of Society Psychical Research vol. 49 151
   4. 1978

      > There are a dozen ways of beating the odds with the Zener packs they use for card-guessing tests.

      D. Bloodworth, Crosstalk xiv. 119
   5. 2015

      > Results of the online Zener test were automatically calculated by a program from an unknown internet programmer.

      S. Ertel in D. Broderick & B. Goertzel, Evidence for Psi 154
   occult parapsychology
   1. Zener 1934–
      attributive. Designating a set of cards designed for use in parapsychology experiments, the symbols used on these cards, or a test conducted using…
   View in Historical Thesaurus

## Pronunciation

### British English

/ˈziːnə/
ZEE-nuh
/ˈzɛnə/
ZEN-uh

### U.S. English

/ˈzinər/
ZEE-nuhr
/ˈzɛnər/
ZEN-uhr

####

##### 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

Also with lower-case initial.

Zener, n.¹ was revised in June 2018.

Zener, n.¹ was last modified in July 2023.