zygosphenenoun
Factsheet
What does the noun zygosphene mean?
There is one meaning in OED's entry for the noun zygosphene. See ‘Meaning & use’ for definition, usage, and quotation evidence.
Entry status
OED is undergoing a continuous programme of revision to modernize and improve definitions. This entry has not yet been fully revised.
How common is the noun zygosphene?
| 1850 | 0.0069 |
| 1860 | 0.0067 |
| 1870 | 0.0062 |
| 1880 | 0.0062 |
| 1890 | 0.0058 |
| 1900 | 0.006 |
| 1910 | 0.0046 |
| 1920 | 0.0035 |
| 1930 | 0.0032 |
| 1940 | 0.0031 |
| 1950 | 0.0024 |
| 1960 | 0.0023 |
| 1970 | 0.002 |
| 1980 | 0.0023 |
| 1990 | 0.0024 |
| 2000 | 0.0022 |
| 2010 | 0.002 |
How is the noun zygosphene pronounced?
British English
Where does the noun zygosphene come from?
Earliest known use
1850s
The earliest known use of the noun zygosphene is in the 1850s.
OED's earliest evidence for zygosphene is from 1854, in the writing of Richard Owen, comparative anatomist and palaeontologist.
zygosphene is a borrowing from Greek.
Etymons: Greek ζυγόν, σϕήν.
Nearby entries
- zygophore, n.1904–
- zygophyllaceous, adj.1887–
- zygophyte, n.1885–
- zygopleura, n.1883–
- zygopterid, n. & adj.1900–
- zygosis, n.1880–
- zygosity, n.1952–
- zygosome, n.1905–
- zygosperm, n.1880–
- zygosphenal, adj.1854–
- zygosphene, n.1854–
- zygosphere, n.1880–
- zygospondyline, adj.1892–
- zygospore, n.1864–
- zygosporic, adj.1906–
- zygostat, n.1623
- zygostatical, adj.1656
- zygostyle, n.1881–
- zygote, n.1891–
- zygotene, n.1911–
- zygotic, adj.1909–
Etymology
Summary
Meaning & use
- 1854–A double wedge-shaped projection on the anterior side of the neural side of each ordinary vertebra in serpents and some lizards, which fits into the zygantrum of the next vertebra.
- 1854
A wedge~shaped process (the ‘zygosphene’)..is developed from the fore part of the base of the spine.
R. Owen, Structure of Skeleton & Teeth in Orr's Circle of Sciences: Organic Nature vol. I. 196 - 1892
The zygosphenes and zygantra of the Ophidian vertebræ.
Proceedings of Zoological Society 1 March 176
- anteocular1848–An anteocular structure; esp. = preocular, n. Now rare.
- zygantrum1854–A double cavity on the posterior side of the neural arch of each ordinary vertebra in serpents and some lizards, into which the zygosphene of the…
- zygosphene1854–A double wedge-shaped projection on the anterior side of the neural side of each ordinary vertebra in serpents and some lizards, which fits into the…
- preocular1859–Zoology. In a snake or lizard: a scale situated immediately in front of the eye.
- occipital1890Zoology. Either of a pair of plates on the occipital region in certain snakes. Obsolete. rare.
- hemipenis1909–One of the paired eversible copulatory organs in snakes and lizards.
Pronunciation
British English
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
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.
Frequency
zygosphene typically occurs fewer than 0.01 times per million words in modern written English.
zygosphene is in frequency band 2, which contains words occurring between 0.001 and 0.01 times per million words in modern written English. More about OED's frequency bands
Frequency of zygosphene, 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 | 0.0069 |
| 1860 | 0.0067 |
| 1870 | 0.0062 |
| 1880 | 0.0062 |
| 1890 | 0.0058 |
| 1900 | 0.006 |
| 1910 | 0.0046 |
| 1920 | 0.0035 |
| 1930 | 0.0032 |
| 1940 | 0.0031 |
| 1950 | 0.0024 |
| 1960 | 0.0023 |
| 1970 | 0.002 |
| 1980 | 0.0023 |
| 1990 | 0.0024 |
| 2000 | 0.0022 |
| 2010 | 0.002 |
Compounds & derived words
- zygosphenal, adj. 1854–Belonging to or constituting a zygosphene.