zorbing, n.

zorbing
http://www.oed.com/dictionary/zorbing_n%3Ftab%3Dmeaning_and_use
First published 2003

# zorbingnoun

## Factsheet

### What does the noun zorbing mean?

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

### How common is the noun zorbing?

Fewer than 0.01occurrences per million words in modern written English

2017 | 0.017
2018 | 0.014
2019 | 0.011
2020 | 0.011
2021 | 0.0081
2022 | 0.0052
2023 | 0.0054
2024 | 0.0072

### How is the noun zorbing pronounced?

#### British English

/ˈzɔːbɪŋ/
ZOR-bing

#### U.S. English

/ˈzɔrbɪŋ/
ZOR-bing

#### New Zealand English

/ˈzoːbiŋ/

### Where does the noun zorbing come from?

Earliest known use

1990s

The earliest known use of the noun zorbing is in the 1990s.

OED's earliest evidence for zorbing is from 1996, in the Sunday Times (London).

zorbing is apparently formed within English, by derivation.

Etymons: Zorb n., ‑ing suffix1.

### Nearby entries

1. zoozygosphere, n. 1880–
2. zope, n. 1880–
3. zophoric, adj. 1728–
4. zophorus | zoophorus, n. 1563–
5. zopilote, n. 1787–
6. zopissa, n. 1601–
7. zoppa, adj. 1740–
8. Zoque, n. 1891–
9. Zoque–Mixe, adj. & n. 1893–
10. Zorb, n. 1996–
11. zorbing, n.1996–
12. zorgite, n. 1852–
13. zori, n.?1823–
14. zoril, n. 1774–
15. Zoroastrian, adj. & n. 1597–
16. Zoroastrianism, n. 1832–
17. Zoroastrianize, v. 1891–
18. Zoroastric, adj. a1739–
19. Zoroastrism, n. 1819–
20. zorrino, n. 1885–
21. zorro, n. 1838–

## Etymology

### Summary

Apparently formed within English, by derivation.
Etymons: Zorb n., ‑ing suffix1.
Apparently < Zorb n. (see note) + ‑ing suffix1…
Apparently < Zorb n. (see note) + ‑ing suffix1.

### Notes

Zorb n. is first attested only three months later than the present word.

## Meaning & use

Originally New Zealand.

1. 1996–
   A sport, originating in New Zealand, in which a participant is secured within the inner capsule of a large, inflated, transparent PVC ball which is then rolled along the ground, down hills, etc.
   1. 1996

      > Just when we had got used to bungee jumping from helicopters, they have come up with a new way of pumping the adrenaline—zorbing.

      Sunday Times 21 April (Travel section) 2/6
   2. 1996

      > He told me I had gone down in the classic novice manner, doing what is known in Zorbing nomenclature as a ‘washing machine’.

      Guardian 6 November i. 15/8
   3. 1997

      > Akers wants to market zorbing as a low-key adventure activity, accessible to a wide range of people, ‘rather than a wild ride for the morons of this world’.

      Metro (Auckland) April 81
   4. 2001

      > There will also be a swimming pool, rollercoaster, scad drops, free-fall simulators, reverse ejection seats, zorbing, ferris wheels and a host of gravity-defying party pieces—all good for inter-galactic training.

      Bizarre July 30/4
   New Zealand English
   1. swinging 1610–
      The sport of riding in a swing. Also attributive.
   2. shuggie-shue 1653–
      The pastime of swinging; a swing (esp. at a fair), hence jocularly the gallows; also a see-saw.
   3. bilboquet 1743–
      The plaything called Cup-and-ball; the game played with it, which consists in catching the ball either on the cup or spike end of the stick.
   4. kite-flying 1804–
      literal. The flying of a kite on a string. Also attributive.
   5. cup and ball 1836–
      A toy consisting of a cup at the end of a stem to which a ball is attached by a string, the object being to toss the ball and catch it in the cup…
   6. kittly-benders 1854–
      kittly-benders n. kettle-de-benders n. thin ice which bends under one's weight; the sport of running over this. (U.S. colloquial.)
   7. cakewalk 1863–
      A contest in which participants compete to perform the most graceful, dignified, intricate, or amusing walk, usually to music, with a cake as the…
   8. bug hunt 1877–
      A search for insects or other bugs (bug, n.² I.1).
   9. mudlarking 1888–
      The activity or occupation of a mudlark (in various senses), esp. the action of riding, playing, or driving in mud.
   10. pogo 1921–
       A recreational device on which a person can jump about for exercise or amusement, consisting of a long spring-loaded metal pole with a grip or…
   11. pogoing 1921–
   12. yo-yo 1932–
       The pastime of playing with a yo-yo.
   13. waterball 1950–
       A game in which two teams propel a ball with jets of water from powerful hoses, (in later use) esp. (chiefly U.S.) one in which each team attempts…
   14. devil stick 1964–
       Any of three sticks used in a game or performance in which one stick is spun and manipulated so as to remain in the air by two others held in the…
   15. laugher 1973–
       U.S. slang. Something amusing, ridiculous, or laughable; a joke.
   16. karaoke 1977–
       A form of entertainment, originating in Japan, in which a person sings the vocal line of a popular song to the accompaniment of a pre-recorded…
   17. jumping castle 1978–
       A large inflatable, typically in the form of a stylized castle or other building, on which people (esp. children) can jump and play; = bouncy castle…
   18. bouncy castle 1986–
       A large inflatable, typically in the form of a stylized castle or other building, on which people (esp. children) can jump and play.
   19. paintball 1987–
       A war game in which participants use weapons that fire paint capsules, with any competitor marked by the paint being eliminated from the game.
   20. bouncing castle 1988–
       = bouncy castle, n.
   21. paintballing 1989–
       The action or activity of playing paintball.
   22. videoke 1990–
       A form of entertainment popular in bars, at parties, etc., in which a person sings the vocal line of a popular song to the accompaniment of a…
   23. zorbing 1996–
       A sport, originating in New Zealand, in which a participant is secured within the inner capsule of a large, inflated, transparent PVC ball which…
   24. escape room 2012–
       A leisure activity in which a group of people must solve a series of puzzles against the clock in order to escape from a locked room or rooms…
   View in Historical Thesaurus

## Pronunciation

### British English

/ˈzɔːbɪŋ/
ZOR-bing

### U.S. English

/ˈzɔrbɪŋ/
ZOR-bing

### New Zealand English

/ˈzoːbiŋ/

####

##### 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.

####

##### Consonants

- ppea
- ttea
- kkey
- bbuy
- ddye*
- ɡguy
- tʃchore
- dʒjay
- ffore
- θthaw
- ssore
- ʃshore
- vvee
- ðthee
- zzee
- ʒbeige
- 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 as in British and US English.

##### Vowels

- iːfleece
- ihappy, sing
- əkit, letter, ago
- edress
- ɛtrap
- ʌstrut
- ʌːstart, palm, bath
- ɒlot, cloth
- oːthought, north, force
- ʊfoot
- ʉːgoose
- ɵːnurse
- ʌʉgoat
- æʉmouth
- iənear
- eəsquare
- ʉəcure
- æeface
- ɑepride
- oevoice

Māori-origin words may vary in length or diphthongal quality.

In New Zealand English, words of Māori origin are treated slightly differently from the rest. Multiple pronunciations may be given, the first of which is a close representation of the Māori pronunciation. Varying degrees of anglicization may be reflected in subsequent pronunciations. The Māori pronunciations use the same vowel symbols as above but with varying length (e.g. /eː/ in addition to /e/) or different diphthong qualities.

##### 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 capital initial.

## Frequency

zorbing typically occurs fewer than 0.01 times per million words in modern written English.

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

### Frequency of zorbing, n., 1990–2010

* 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
--- | ---
1990 | 0.0005
2000 | 0.0005
2010 | 0.0005

### Frequency of zorbing, 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 | 0.017
2018 | 0.014
2019 | 0.011
2020 | 0.011
2021 | 0.0081
2022 | 0.0052
2023 | 0.0054
2024 | 0.0072

zorbing, n. was first published in June 2003.

zorbing, n. was last modified in July 2023.