zibib, n.

zibib
http://www.oed.com/dictionary/zibib_n%3Ftab%3Dmeaning_and_use
First published 1986; not fully revised

# zibibnoun

## Earlier version

- zibib in OED Second Edition (1989)

## Factsheet

### What does the noun zibib mean?

There is one meaning in OED's entry for the noun zibib. 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 zibib?

Fewer than 0.01occurrences per million words in modern written English

1910 | 0.0002
1920 | 0.0005
1930 | 0.0005
1940 | 0.0006
1950 | 0.0006
1960 | 0.0007
1970 | 0.0007
1980 | 0.0007
1990 | 0.0005
2000 | 0.0005
2010 | 0.0004

### How is the noun zibib pronounced?

#### British English

/zəˈbiːb/
zuh-BEEB
/ˈzɪbɪb/
ZIB-ib

#### U.S. English

/zəˈbib/
zuh-BEEB
/ˈzɪˌbɪb/
ZIB-ib

### Where does the noun zibib come from?

Earliest known use

1830s

The earliest known use of the noun zibib is in the 1830s.

OED's earliest evidence for zibib is from 1836, in the writing of Edward Lane, orientalist.

zibib is a borrowing from Arabic.

Etymons: Arabic zabīb.

### Nearby entries

1. zhomo, n. 1841–
2. zhuyin zimu, n. 1938–
3. zhuzh, n. 1968–
4. zhuzh, v. 1970–
5. zhuzhy, adj. 1968–
6. ziamet, n. 1807–
7. ziarat, n. 1776–
8. zibeline, n. 1585–
9. zibet, n. 1594–
10. zibet-muff, n. 1685
11. zibib, n.1836–
12. ziczac, n. 1844–
13. zidovudine, n. 1987–
14. Ziegfeld, n. 1913–
15. Ziegler, n. 1957–
16. Ziegler-Natta, n. 1965–
17. Ziehl, n. 1892–
18. Ziehl-Neelsen, n. 1892–
19. ziff, n. 1917–
20. ZIFT, n. 1988–
21. zig, n. 1978–

## Etymology

### Summary

A borrowing from Arabic.
Etymon: Arabic zabīb.
< Arabic zabīb dried grapes, (in Egypt) zibib.

## Meaning & use

1. 1836–
   A colourless, strongly alcoholic Egyptian drink made from raisins and drunk with added water, which turns it white.
   1. 1836

      > In the same manner, many shurbet′lees (or sellers of sherbet) carry about for sale zebee′b (or infusion of raisins).

      E. W. Lane, Account of Manners & Customs of Modern Egyptians vol. II. i. 19
   2. 1958

      > He drank quite a lot of zibib according to the proprietor.

      L. Durrell, Mountolive ix. 181
   3. 1977

      > Would I have a glass of zibeeb? He asked me.

      J. Hutchison, Danger has No Face (1978) iv. 41
   4. 1980

      > I wandered..sherry glass in hand, imagining it zibib or some other sharp foreign drink.

      J. Hove, Flowers of Forest i. 8
   drink
   1. koumiss 1579–
      A fermented drink made from mare's milk, traditionally produced by equestrian nomadic peoples of Central Asia. Also: a strongly alcoholic drink…
   2. nugs of balm 1609
      A medicinal distillate, perhaps of a kind of balsam.
   3. raki a1613–
      A clear alcoholic beverage of Turkey and the Balkans distilled from a variety of fruits or grains, usually flavoured with herbs and spices, esp…
   4. aniseed water 1623–
      An alcoholic spirit flavoured with aniseed; cf. anisette, n.
   5. pariah-arrack 1672–1859
      A powerful distilled liquor made in South Asia.
   6. stalagma 1684–
      A distilled liquor. rare.
   7. fenouillette 1706–39
      Fennel water.
   8. aguardiente 1752–
      In Spain, Portugal, and Latin America: any of several types of strong distilled alcoholic beverage, esp. a brandy made in Spain and Portugal or a…
   9. fennel water 1757–
      A spirituous liquor prepared from fennel seed, = fenouillette, n.
   10. rakia 1778–
       A type of colourless spirit in the Balkans distilled from various ingredients, including grape pomace and plums, and often flavoured with herbs or…
   11. mahua 1810–
       The spirit obtained from the flowers of Mahue longifolia var. latifolia by distillation.
   12. mahua-arrack 1813
   13. kirschwasser 1819–
       An alcoholic spirit distilled in Germany and Switzerland from a fermented liquor obtained by crushing wild cherries.
   14. mescal 1826–
       A strong intoxicating spirit distilled from the fermented sap of an agave. Cf. tequila, n., pulque, n.
   15. grass spirit 1830
       Alcoholic spirit distilled from fermented grasses.
   16. still-spirit 1832–
       (See quot. 1832).
   17. mobbie 1833–59
       Caribbean. A drink made from ginger (see quot. 1859). Cf. mauby, n. 1. Obsolete.
   18. zibib 1836–
       A colourless, strongly alcoholic Egyptian drink made from raisins and drunk with added water, which turns it white.
   19. potato spirit 1839–
       Alcohol distilled from fermented potatoes; also called potato brandy or potato whisky.
   20. mowra 1846–83
       = mahua, n. 2. Also mowra spirit. Obsolete.
   21. tequila 1849–
       An alcoholic spirit of Mexican origin, made by distilling the fermented sap of the blue agave plant (Agave tequilana), and typically served neat, as…
   22. Jersey lightning 1852–
       A strong kind of apple-jack, peach-brandy, or whisky.
   23. petit baume 1858–
       A liquor distilled in the West Indies from seaside sage, Croton flavens.
   24. kirsch 1869–
       = kirschwasser, n.
   25. mastic 1876–
       In extended use: = mastika, n.
   26. Hoochinoo 1877–
       (Usually with lower-case initial.) An alcoholic liquor made by some Indigenous peoples in Alaska, esp. the Hoochinoo people; also any inferior…
   27. mastic brandy 1883–
       = mastika, n.
   28. mastika 1889–
       An alcoholic liquor made from grain spirit or brandy flavoured with mastic gum, produced in Greece and elsewhere in the eastern Mediterranean.
   29. hooch 1897–
       a. = Hoochinoo, n. 2. b. In more general use: alcoholic liquor, spirits, esp. of low quality or illegal provenance.
   30. ouzo 1897–
       A clear aniseed-flavoured spirit, originally from Greece, frequently drunk with or without added water as an aperitif; a glass of this.
   31. milk-whisky 1906–
       = koumiss, n.
   32. mahua spirit 1920–
   33. shochu 1938–
       A rough Japanese spirit distilled from various ingredients, including sake dregs. Also attributive.
   34. mirabelle 1940–
       A liqueur distilled from mirabelles, esp. ones grown in Alsace, France.
   35. tsipouro 1947–
       A rough and local kind of Greek spirituous drink.
   36. mahua liquor 1961–
   37. Mao-tai 1962–
       A strong alcoholic drink traditionally made in south-western China by distillation in a pot still of a fermented mixture of wheat and sorghum.
   38. changaa 1975–
       A strong, home-brewed traditional Kenyan spirit made from fermented grains such as millet, maize, or sorghum.
   39. reposado 1982–
       A type of tequila which has been aged in oak for between two months and a year.
   View in Historical Thesaurus

## Pronunciation

### British English

/zəˈbiːb/
zuh-BEEB
/ˈzɪbɪb/
ZIB-ib

### U.S. English

/zəˈbib/
zuh-BEEB
/ˈzɪˌbɪb/
ZIB-ib

####

##### 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 zibeeb.

## Frequency

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

zibib 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 zibib, n., 1910–2010

* 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
--- | ---
1910 | 0.0002
1920 | 0.0005
1930 | 0.0005
1940 | 0.0006
1950 | 0.0006
1960 | 0.0007
1970 | 0.0007
1980 | 0.0007
1990 | 0.0005
2000 | 0.0005
2010 | 0.0004

zibib, n. was first published in 1986; not fully revised.

zibib, n. was last modified in July 2023.