zoot, n.

zoot
http://www.oed.com/dictionary/zoot_n%3Ftab%3Dmeaning_and_use
Revised 2017

# zootnoun

## Earlier version

- zoot in OED Second Edition (1989)

## Factsheet

### What does the noun zoot mean?

There are two meanings listed in OED's entry for the noun zoot. See ‘Meaning & use’ for definitions, usage, and quotation evidence.

### How common is the noun zoot?

About 0.1occurrences per million words in modern written English

1940 | 0.078
1950 | 0.083
1960 | 0.086
1970 | 0.094
1980 | 0.11
1990 | 0.12
2000 | 0.13
2010 | 0.14

### How is the noun zoot pronounced?

#### British English

/zuːt/
zoot

#### U.S. English

/zut/
zoot

### Where does the noun zoot come from?

Earliest known use

1940s

The earliest known use of the noun zoot is in the 1940s.

OED's earliest evidence for zoot is from 1942, in Oil City (Pennsylvania) Blizzard.

zoot is apparently formed within English, by clipping or shortening.

Etymons: zoot suit n.

### Nearby entries

1. zoosematic, adj. 1898–1909
2. zoosemiotics, n. 1963–
3. zoosophy, n. 1662–1848
4. zoosperm, n. 1824–
5. zoospermatic, adj. 1845–79
6. zoosporangiophore, n. 1889–
7. zoosporangium, n. 1862–
8. zoospore, n. 1842–
9. zoosporic, adj. 1854–
10. zoosporous, adj. 1845–
11. zoot, n.1942–
12. zootaxy, n. 1833–
13. zootechnic, adj. 1861–
14. zootechnics, n. 1863–
15. zootechny, n. 1841–
16. zootheca, n. 1852–
17. zoothecium, n. 1880–
18. zootheism, n. 1879–
19. zootheist, n. 1879–
20. zootheistic, adj. 1879–
21. zoothome, n. 1872–

## Etymology

### Summary

Apparently formed within English, by clipping or shortening.
Apparently short for zoot suit n.

## Meaning & use

Originally U.S. slang.

1. I.
   Compounds.
   1. I.1.
      1942–
      attributive. Designating an item of clothing forming part of, or designed to be worn with, a zoot suit, as zoot jacket, zoot pants, zoot shirt, etc.
      1. 1942

         > See the new ‘zoot coat’.

         Oil City (Pennsylvania) Blizzard 21 August 2/4 (advertisement)
      2. 1952

         > Zoot shirts all supplied by NATD wholesalers.

         Baytown (Texas) Sun 28 February 23/2
      3. 1971

         > The gifts he received..from the gold trophy and safari hat to 1940s zoot pants and padded jackets.

         Lima (Ohio) News 6 January 23/1
      4. 1983

         > Terry..shrugging back the wide shoulders of his salmon-pink zoot jacket.

         K. Waterhouse, In Mood xiii. 113
      5. 1986

         > I wore zoot shoes, square toed.

         B. Geldof, Is that It? iv. 41
      6. 2004

         > Brightly colored Zoot shirts.

         R. Newby, Rocky Mountain Region 155
      costume U.S. English colloquial and slang
      1. bloody shirt a1586–
         A bloodstained shirt exhibited as a symbol of murder, outrage, or hostility; (United States) figurative as a symbol of the hostility between North…
      2. historical shirt a1640–
         (Probably) a shirt embroidered with figures or narrative scenes; perhaps cf. historified, adj., historiated, adj.
      3. day shirt 1684–
         (A name for) a shirt worn during the day time (as opposed to a nightshirt, n.).
      4. banyan shirt 1728–
         a. In South Asian contexts: a loose-fitting shirt, nightgown, or undershirt. historical after 19th cent. †b. English regional. A short jacket or…
      5. ruffle shirt 1749–
         A shirt adorned with ruffles. Cf. ruffled shirt, n.
      6. ruffled shirt 1754–
         = ruffle shirt, n.
      7. dicky 1781
         slang. A man's shirt, esp. a worn-out one. Obsolete. rare.
      8. overshirt 1805–
         A shirt worn over other garments.
      9. camise 1812–
         = kameez, n.
      10. mill tog 1821–
          A shirt, esp. one made or worn by prisoners.
      11. tunic shirt 1838–
          A long, loose-fitting, typically collarless shirt, typically worn with trousers; cf. caftan, n.
      12. bush shirt 1845–
          A loose-fitting shirt, typically with long sleeves and several pockets, originally intended to be worn in hot climates, esp. for manual work. Cf. b…
      13. boiled shirt 1853–
          a. U.S. a white linen shirt (see shirt, n. I.2); b. a man's dress shirt.
      14. Crimean shirt 1853–
          A long loose shirt made of a durable fabric; a coloured flannel shirt usually worn outside the trousers, formerly popular amongst workers in the…
      15. Crimea shirt 1857–
          = Crimean shirt, n.
      16. shirtwaist 1859–1921
          A light loose buttoned blouse or shirt for boys, with cuffs and collar, and often gathered at the waist. Also: a similar garment for men. Obsolete.
      17. baseball shirt 1860–
          A shirt worn (as a uniform) for playing baseball; (also) a type of casual shirt (esp. a long-sleeved T-shirt) having raglan sleeves in a…
      18. shirt 1867–
          As a name for garments resembling a shirt. A garment for the upper body, typically made of soft stretchable fabric (sometimes having a short row of…
      19. war shirt 1867–
          Among some Indigenous peoples of central North America: an ornately-decorated shirt which records or commemorates achievements in battle, typically…
      20. polo shirt 1887–
          a. A shirt of the kind worn by polo players; (hence) a short-sleeved casual shirt with a collar and buttons at the neck. b. a shirt with a polo neck.
      21. zephyr 1887–
          Any of various lightweight or thin articles of clothing or accessories, such as a light shawl, scarf, or coat; (in later use) spec. a light shirt…
      22. Ghost Shirt 1890–
          A shirt or shirt-like garment created and worn by a Ghost Dancer, reputed to give the wearer spiritual powers and protection; cf. Ghost Dancer, n.
      23. Henley 1890–
          Originally and chiefly North American. Also with lower-case initial. A shirt in a style associated with the Henley regatta; spec. a collarless…
      24. butterfly collar 1893–
          Any of various collars resembling the shape of a butterfly's wings; esp. (a) a type of wing collar having rounded wing tips, popular in the early…
      25. negligée shirt 1895–
          A soft-fronted shirt formerly worn by men.
      26. turtle-neck 1897–
          a. A close-fitting roll or band collar, now usually one intermediate in height between a crew-neck and a polo-neck; (formerly also) = polo neck, n.…
      27. rugby shirt 1902–
          a. North American a dress shirt in a style associated with Rugby School (now rare); b. a pullover shirt worn for playing rugby, traditionally made…
      28. sports shirt 1912–
          A shirt, now typically a short-sleeved one worn by a man, for informal wear or for sport.
      29. sport shirt 1914–
          = sports shirt, n.
      30. safari shirt 1921–
      31. button-down 1924–
          Originally North American. A button-down shirt (see button-down shirt at sense A.2b).
      32. thousand-miler 1929–
          A dark shirt that does not show the dirt.
      33. aloha shirt 1936–
          = Hawaiian shirt, n.
      34. buba 1937–
          Esp. in Nigeria (originally among the Yoruba people): a type of loose blouse or shirt with long loose sleeves, worn by both men and women.
      35. zoot shirt 1942–
          attributive. Designating an item of clothing forming part of, or designed to be worn with, a zoot suit, as zoot jacket, zoot pants, zoot shirt, etc.
      36. dashiki 1949–
          A loose-fitting tunic originating in West Africa, typically made from brightly-coloured woven fabric and having an ornately decorated V-shaped…
      37. Hawaiian shirt 1955–
          A highly coloured and gaily patterned shirt.
      38. muscle shirt 1961–
          A sleeveless, tight-fitting T-shirt designed to show off the wearer's physique.
      39. sweater-shirt 1964–
          a. U.S. a knitted garment that may be worn as a sweater or a shirt; b. = sweatshirt, n.
      40. beach shirt 1966–
      41. kimono shirt 1968–
          A long Japanese robe with sleeves. Now frequently applied to a similar loose, wide-sleeved garment, fastened with a sash, and worn as a dressing…
      42. half shirt 1981–
          A short-sleeved or sleeveless garment for the upper body that has been cut short so that it reveals the stomach.
      View in Historical Thesaurus
2. II.
   Simple uses.
   1. II.2.
      1942–
      = zoot suit n. 1.
      1. 1942

         > What's a zoot to a slicky.

         Washington Post 28 September 14
      2. 1965

         > I saw some of the real Roxbury hipsters eyeing my zoot.

         Malcolm X & A. Haley, Autobiography Malcolm X iv. 59
      3. 1973

         > Where'd you get that zoot you're wearing, there?

         T. Pynchon, Gravity's Rainbow ii. 246
      4. 2004

         > Negroes, Irish, and Italians, styled out in zoots, long-lapelled shirts, horn rims, and suede shoes.

         P. Whaley, Blows Like Horn 43
      costume U.S. English colloquial and slang
      1. zoot 1942–
         = zoot suit, n. 1.
      2. zoot suit 1942–
         A man’s suit of an exaggerated style, characterized by a long, loose jacket with padded shoulders and high-waisted tapering trousers.
      View in Historical Thesaurus

## Pronunciation

### British English

/zuːt/
zoot

### U.S. English

/zut/
zoot

####

##### 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

## Frequency

zoot typically occurs about 0.1 times per million words in modern written English.

zoot is in frequency band 4, which contains words occurring between 0.1 and 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 zoot, n., 1940–2010

* 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
--- | ---
1940 | 0.078
1950 | 0.083
1960 | 0.086
1970 | 0.094
1980 | 0.11
1990 | 0.12
2000 | 0.13
2010 | 0.14

### Frequency of zoot, 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 | 0.022
2018 | 0.021
2019 | 0.019
2020 | 0.02
2021 | 0.019
2022 | 0.017
2023 | 0.018
2024 | 0.018

## Compounds & derived words

Sort by

1. zooty, adj. 1942–
   That is in the style of a zoot suit (zoot suit, n. 1).

zoot, n. was revised in June 2017.

zoot, n. was last modified in September 2024.