zephyryadjective
Factsheet
What does the adjective zephyry mean?
There is one meaning in OED's entry for the adjective zephyry. See ‘Meaning & use’ for definition, usage, and quotation evidence.
How common is the adjective zephyry?
| 1820 | 0.0014 |
| 1830 | 0.0014 |
| 1840 | 0.0013 |
| 1850 | 0.0012 |
| 1860 | 0.001 |
| 1870 | 0.0009 |
| 1880 | 0.0005 |
| 1890 | 0.0005 |
| 1900 | 0.0004 |
| 1910 | 0.0003 |
| 1920 | 0.0002 |
| 1930 | 0.0002 |
| 1940 | 0.0001 |
| 1950 | 0.0001 |
| 1960 | 0.0001 |
| 1970 | 0.00005 |
| 1980 | 0.00006 |
| 1990 | 0.00006 |
| 2000 | 0.00004 |
| 2010 | 0.00004 |
Where does the adjective zephyry come from?
Earliest known use
late 1700s
The earliest known use of the adjective zephyry is in the late 1700s.
OED's earliest evidence for zephyry is from 1791, in the writing of John Learmont.
Nearby entries
- zephyret, n.1777–1881
- zephyr flower, n.?1829–
- zephyr-gale, n.1596–1901
- zephyrian, adj.1661–
- zephyrine, adj. & n.1819–
- zephyring, adj.1821–
- zephyrless, adj.a1821–
- zephyr-like, adv. & adj.1765–
- zephyr lily, n.?1877–
- zephyrous, adj.a1750–
- zephyry, adj.1791–
- Zepp, n.1914–
- Zepp, v.1914–
- Zeppelin, n.1896–
- zeppelin, v.1910–
- Zeppelined, adj.1915–
- Zeppelining, n.1915–
- Zeppelinist, n.1912–
- Zeppelinistic, adj.1930–
- Zeppelinite, n.1909–
- zeppole, n.1835–
Meaning & use
- 1791–Of the nature of a zephyr or light breeze; characterized by or affected by zephyrs.Stressed as ˈzephyry.
- 1791
The Zephiry Summer breeze.
J. Learmont, Poems Pastoral 188 - 1880
In zephyry hay-fields.
A. H. Swinton, Insect Variety 169 - 1973
Floating through breezy, warm city climates. Country climates. Zephyry. Weightless. Gauzy. Airy.
N. Y. Times 21 May 7/2 (advertisement)
- lighta1398–Of wind, a breeze, etc.: gentle, not strong in force. Cf. moderate, adj. A.1b, strong, adj. 13a.
- plaina1425–35figurative. Of the wind: calm, gentle. Obsolete.
- small1542–Of a wind: light, slight, gentle.
- soft-footed1603–Having a soft or light tread. poetic. Used figuratively of the passage of time or the movement of incorporeal or ethereal things.
- supple1648–literary. Of a wind: blowing gently, light and soft.
- favonian1656–Of or pertaining to the west wind; hence, favourable, gentle, propitious.
- zephyrian1661–Of, relating to, or reminiscent of, a zephyr or light breeze; cf. zephyrean, adj.
- slack1670–Of wind, or tide: Blowing, or running, with very little strength or speed.
- zephyrousa1750–Of, relating to, or reminiscent of, a zephyr or light breeze; cf. zephyrean, adj., zephyrian, adj.
- zephyry1791–Of the nature of a zephyr or light breeze; characterized by or affected by zephyrs.
- zephyrean1793–Of the nature of, or reminiscent of, a zephyr or light breeze; cf. zephyrian, adj.
Frequency
zephyry typically occurs fewer than 0.01 times per million words in modern written English.
zephyry 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 zephyry, adj., 1820–2010
* 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 |
|---|---|
| 1820 | 0.0014 |
| 1830 | 0.0014 |
| 1840 | 0.0013 |
| 1850 | 0.0012 |
| 1860 | 0.001 |
| 1870 | 0.0009 |
| 1880 | 0.0005 |
| 1890 | 0.0005 |
| 1900 | 0.0004 |
| 1910 | 0.0003 |
| 1920 | 0.0002 |
| 1930 | 0.0002 |
| 1940 | 0.0001 |
| 1950 | 0.0001 |
| 1960 | 0.0001 |
| 1970 | 0.00005 |
| 1980 | 0.00006 |
| 1990 | 0.00006 |
| 2000 | 0.00004 |
| 2010 | 0.00004 |