Zika, n.

zika
http://www.oed.com/dictionary/zika_n%3Ftab%3Dmeaning_and_use
First published 2017

# Zikanoun

## Factsheet

### What does the noun Zika mean?

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

### How common is the noun Zika?

Fewer than 0.01occurrences per million words in modern written English

1960 | 0.0059
1970 | 0.0071
1980 | 0.0079
1990 | 0.0079
2000 | 0.0092
2010 | 0.01

### How is the noun Zika pronounced?

#### British English

/ˈziːkə/

#### U.S. English

/ˈzikə/

### Where does the noun Zika come from?

Earliest known use

1950s

The earliest known use of the noun Zika is in the 1950s.

OED's earliest evidence for Zika is from 1952, in a paper by G. W. A. Dick et al.

From proper names.

Etymons: proper name Zika, Ziika.

### Nearby entries

1. ziggurat, n. 1873–
2. zigzag, n., adj., & adv. 1712–
3. zigzag, v. 1777–
4. zigzag connection, n. 1922–
5. zigzagged, adj. 1774–
6. zigzaggery, n. 1761–
7. zigzaggy, adj. a1845–
8. zigzag machine, n. 1952–
9. zigzag trefoil, n. 1796–
10. zig-zig, n. 1918–
11. Zika, n.1952–
12. Zilavka, n. 1926–
13. zilch, n. & adj. 1925–
14. zilch, v. 1957–
15. zill, n. 1754–
16. zilla, n. 1772–
17. -zilla, comb. form
18. zilladar, n. 1763–
19. Zil lane, n. 1985–
20. zilla parishad, n. 1957–
21. zillion, n. & adj. 1920–

## Etymology

### Summary

From proper names.
Etymons: proper name Zika, Ziika.
< the name of the Zika (or Ziika) Forest in Uganda, where the virus was first isolated.

## Meaning & use

1. 1952–
   A mosquito-borne flavivirus, originally identified in African monkeys but increasingly affecting human populations, which can cause symptoms including mild fever, rash, and (less commonly) neurological disorders, and has more recently been implicated in the development of congenital microcephaly in children whose mothers were infected during pregnancy (more fully Zika virus). Also: the disease caused by this virus (more fully Zika fever).
   Transmitted by mosquitoes of the genus Aedes, Zika was rarely reported in humans before localized outbreaks in Micronesia (2007) and French Polynesia (2013); a major epidemic in the Americas and the Pacific began in Brazil in early 2015.
   1. 1952

      > This virus has been called Zika virus after the geographical name of the area from where the isolations were made.

      G. W. A. Dick et al. in Transactions of Royal Society of Tropical Medicine & Hygiene vol. 46 510
   2. 1953

      > The appalling list of viruses is shown by a list of the infections studied in the Lagos Institute: Bunyamwera, Bwamba fever.., W. Nile, Yellow fever, and Zika.

      African Affairs vol. 52 61
   3. 1988

      > Zika fever , a poorly understood viral fever transmitted by mosquitoes from monkeys.

      J. C. Bell et al., Zoonoses 222
   4. 2007

      > The Zika virus, spread by mosquitoes, produces an itchy rash, pinkeye, joint pain and fever... Now Zika has made its first appearance in Micronesia, on the island of Yap.

      New York Times (National edition) 3 July d5/1
   5. 2015

      > That little rash you have? Let's hope it's not Zika fever.

      Washington Post (Nexis) 22 September e1
   6. 2016

      > The World Health Organisation has identified certain parts of Southern France and Spain, areas around the Black Sea and Madeira as probable sites where zika could soon emerge.

      Irish Daily Mail (Nexis) 4 October 33
   viruses pathology
   1. fever hectic a1398–1676
      A prolonged, debilitating fever causing wasting of the body; consumption; cf. hectic, adj. & n.
   2. causon 1398–1661
      ? Inflammation, ? heartburn.
   3. emitrichie 1398–1547
      A kind of fever.
   4. hectic 1398–
      A hectic fever.
   5. fever lent a1400–40
      (Perhaps) a prolonged or low-grade fever.
   6. etisie 1527–1654
      = hectic, n. B.1a.
   7. little fever?1532–
      A febrile illness in which the fever is of low grade or short duration; (in later use) esp. typhus or typhoid fever.
   8. emphysode fever 1547–1638
      A disease characterized by high fever and the presence of vesicles or pustules in the mouth.
   9. frenzy-fever 1613–
      A fever attended with delirium, ? brain-fever.
   10. purple fever 1623–
       Any of various infectious diseases accompanied by a dark red or purplish, often petechial, rash.
   11. prunella 1656–1730
       Medicine. Any of various diseases characterized by inflammation of the throat, tonsils, or mouth, esp. when accompanied by the formation of a…
   12. marcid fever 1666–84
       A fever that causes wasting.
   13. spring ague 1681–
       A mild intermittent fever occurring in the spring.
   14. remittent 1693–
       Medicine. A remittent fever. Also: a case of this (rare). Now historical or archaic.
   15. spring fever 1696–
       a. A fever occurring in the spring, a spring ague (now historical); b. an emotional state supposedly occurring as a result of the arrival of spring…
   16. low fever 1698–
       a. (Relatively) slight elevation of body temperature during an illness; low-grade fever; an instance of this; b. any of various diseases or…
   17. feveret 1712–
       Originally: an epidemic disease characterized by fever and catarrh (probably influenza). In later use also: any slight or brief fever (also figurative…
   18. rheumatic fever 1726–
       Originally: any fever accompanied by pain in the joints or muscles. In later use: spec. a disorder of probable immunological origin occurring in…
   19. milk fever 1739–
       Fever occurring in a woman shortly after childbirth (formerly supposed to be caused by the beginning of lactation); an instance of this.
   20. stationary fever 1742
       Having a fixed station or place. Medicine. Of a disease: tending to recur in one locality over a period of time; endemic; esp. in stationary fever…
   21. febricula 1746–
       A slight fever, of short duration.
   22. milky fever 1747
       = milk fever, n. 1.
   23. camp-disease 1753–
       (See quots.).
   24. camp-fever 1753–
       A name given to fevers of an epidemical character occurring in camps, chiefly typhus.
   25. hysterical fever 1754–
       a. (An instance of) fever attributed to hysteria (as a medical or psychogenic disorder) (now historical and rare); †b. mild typhus fever (obsolete…
   26. sun fever 1765–
       A fever or febrile condition caused by or attributed to exposure to the sun; spec. (a) sunstroke; †(b) U.S. the viral disease dengue (obsolete).
   27. recurrent fever 1768–
       Fever that recurs at intervals; an instance of this; spec. = relapsing fever, n.
   28. rose fever 1782–
       †a. Erysipelas (cf. rose, n.¹ A.IV.16a); an instance of this (obsolete); b. U.S. seasonal allergic rhinitis; hay fever; (now rare).
   29. tooth-fever 1788–
       Fever accompanying teething.
   30. jungle fever 1792–
       Any of various febrile diseases affecting people living in or visiting tropical forests; esp. malaria and (in later use) certain arbovirus infections.
   31. sensitive fever 1794–1818
       (In the terminology of E. Darwin) a type of fever attributed to increased exertion of the senses.
   32. forest-fever 1799
       Jungle-fever.
   33. white leg 1801–
       = phlegmasia alba dolens, n.; cf. milk leg, n.
   34. hill-fever 1804–
       A kind of remittent fever prevalent in the hill country of India.
   35. Walcheren fever 1810–
       Used in combination, as Walcheren ague, Walcheren fever.
   36. Mediterranean fever 1816–
       A febrile illness of humans caused by the bacterium Brucella melitensis, once very common in parts of the Mediterranean, and frequently…
   37. malignant 1825
       A malignant fever. Obsolete.
   38. relapsing fever 1828–
       A fever that recurs; spec. an infectious disease characterized by a number of episodes of fever lasting for several days and separated by afebrile…
   39. rose cold 1831–
       Seasonal allergic rhinitis; hay fever; cf. rose catarrh, n., rose fever, n. (b).
   40. date fever 1836–
       Dengue fever (see dengue, n.).
   41. rose catarrh 1845–
       = rose cold, n.
   42. Walcheren ague 1847–
       Used in combination, as Walcheren ague, Walcheren fever.
   43. mountain fever 1849–
       A malarial or typhoid fever contracted in a mountain region.
   44. mill fever 1850–
       = byssinosis, n.
   45. Malta fever 1863–
       The febrile illness of humans caused by Brucella melitensis, once very common in Malta and other parts of the Mediterranean; brucellosis. Cf. Med…
   46. bilge-fever 1867–
       (See quot.).
   47. Oroya fever 1873–
       A severe, febrile haemolytic anaemia caused by acute infection with Bartonella bacilliformis, a bacterium endemic to Peru and Ecuador which is…
   48. famine-fever 1876–
       a. Typhus; b. relapsing fever.
   49. hyperpyrexia 1876–
       A high or excessive degree of fever.
   50. East Coast fever 1881–
       †a. A febrile disease epidemic among humans in South Africa (not identified) (obsolete rare). b. Veterinary Medicine = theileriasis, n.
   51. spirillum fever a1883–
       Relapsing fever.
   52. kala azar 1883–
       A febrile disease of tropical and subtropical regions caused by the protozoan Leishmania donovani and transmitted by sand flies of the genus Phlebo…
   53. black water 1884–
       More fully blackwater fever. Malaria caused by Plasmodium falciparum, in which haemoglobinuria may occur after episodes of haemolysis. Cf. melanuric…
   54. febricule 1887–
       = febricula, n.
   55. urine fever 1888–
       (See quot.).
   56. undulant fever 1896–
       A rarely fatal febrile disease, caused by bacteria of the genus Brucella, which may be chronic but intermittent or acute and chiefly affects the…
   57. rabbit fever 1898–
       a. A passion for shooting rabbits or for breeding them (now rare or disused); b. the disease tularaemia.
   58. rat bite fever 1910–
       Either of two bacterial diseases characterized by fever, rash, and arthritis, caused by Streptobacillus moniliformis and Spirillum minus, and…
   59. Rhodesian sleeping sickness 1911–
       A form of sleeping sickness caused by Trypanosoma brucei rhodesiense, which occurs mainly in East Africa and typically runs a more rapid course…
   60. sandfly fever 1911–
       An acute viral fever transmitted by flies of the genus Phlebotomus.
   61. tularaemia 1921–
       An acute infectious febrile disease of man and domestic animals caused by the bacterium Francisella tularensis, endemic among wild rodents in North…
   62. sodoku 1926–
       The form of rat-bite fever caused by Spirillum minus.
   63. brucellosis 1930–
       Infection with or disease caused by bacteria of the genus Brucella (see Brucella, n.); an instance of this.
   64. Rift Valley fever 1931–
       A viral disease of eastern and southern Africa, originally recognized in livestock and later found also to affect humans, caused by a phlebovirus…
   65. Zika 1952–
       A mosquito-borne flavivirus, originally identified in African monkeys but increasingly affecting human populations, which can cause symptoms…
   66. Lassa fever 1970–
       Used attributively in Lassa fever n. an acute febrile virus disease that occurs in tropical Africa with a high mortality rate (first reported at…
   67. Marburg 1983–
       Marburg disease; Marburg virus.
   View in Historical Thesaurus
   1. latent virus 1750–
      (Originally) any morbid matter or morbific agent that is difficult to detect (cf. virus, n. 2a); (in later use) spec. any virus (virus, n. 2b)…
   2. variola virus 1854–
      The causative agent of smallpox (now known to be an orthopoxvirus).
   3. yellow fever virus 1857–
      The causative agent of yellow fever (now known to be a flavivirus).
   4. influenza virus 1880–
      The causative agent of influenza; (in later use) spec. any orthomyxovirus of the genera Influenzavirus A, Influenzavirus B, and Influenzavirus C.
   5. vaccinia virus 1882–
      The infectious agent used in vaccination against smallpox; spec. an orthopoxvirus distinct from smallpox virus and cowpox virus, which is…
   6. street virus 1889–
      Rabies virus isolated directly from a person or animal having the disease; a (strain of) virus of this kind, esp. as distinguished from one…
   7. poxvirus 1891–
      Originally: the causative agent of cowpox or smallpox. In later use: spec. any member of a group (now the family Poxviridae) of large, enveloped…
   8. filter-passer 1906–
      A substance or organism capable of passing through a filter; spec. a filterable virus.
   9. dengue virus 1913–
      Any of a small group of closely related flaviviruses that cause dengue.
   10. mosaic virus 1914–
       A virus causing mosaic disease; cf. tobacco mosaic virus, n.
   11. flu bug 1918–
       (Originally) the influenza virus; (in later use also) influenza; an illness resembling influenza.
   12. bacteriophage 1921–
       A minute organism or agent which destroys bacteria. Cf. phage, n.
   13. herpes virus 1925–
       (Also as one word), any of a group of related viruses that includes those causing shingles and chicken-pox, esp. Herpesvirus hominis, the cause of…
   14. Rous sarcoma virus 1925–
       The retrovirus that causes Rous sarcoma; abbreviated RSV.
   15. Rous virus 1925–
       = Rous sarcoma virus n.
   16. vaccinia 1926–
       The orthopoxvirus that is used in vaccination against smallpox; cf. vaccinia virus, n.
   17. bornavirus 1927–
       Originally: the virus that causes Borna disease (= Borna disease virus, n.). In later use more generally: any of a genus of neurotropic RNA…
   18. Borna disease virus 1931–
       The virus that causes Borna disease, and is also capable of infecting other mammals (with or without the production of overt disease); cf. bornavirus…
   19. papillomavirus 1935–
       Originally: any of several viruses that cause the formation of warts (papillomas). In later use: spec. any member of the genus Papillomavirus…
   20. poliovirus 1939–
       A virus that causes poliomyelitis; spec. a human virus belonging to the genus Enterovirus (family Picornaviridae) that causes most cases of…
   21. Semliki Forest virus 1944–
       Used attributively in Semliki Forest virus n. an insect-borne togavirus used extensively as an experimental organism in genetic research.
   22. actinophage 1947–
       A virus that attacks actinomycetes.
   23. mycophage 1947–
       Microbiology. A mycovirus.
   24. mengovirus 1949–
       A picornavirus originally found in monkeys but capable of infecting other species, the infection in humans being characterized by encephalomyelitis.
   25. varicella zoster virus 1949–
       The virus which causes chickenpox and shingles.
   26. tumour virus 1950–
       A virus that causes tumours.
   27. human papillomavirus 1952–
       The species of papillomavirus that infects human hosts, comprising numerous genotypes most of which cause warts or other benign epithelial…
   28. Zika 1952–
       A mosquito-borne flavivirus, originally identified in African monkeys but increasingly affecting human populations, which can cause symptoms…
   29. mycobacteriophage 1953–
       Any bacteriophage that infects mycobacteria.
   30. Sindbis virus 1953–
       An insect-borne togavirus, related to Semliki Forest virus and also used extensively in genetic research. Also absol.
   31. myxovirus 1954–
       (In form Myxovirus) a group of viruses including the influenza viruses and other viruses with similar morphology and reactions with mucoproteins (now…
   32. echovirus 1955–
       Any of a group of human enteroviruses which typically cause mild or asymptomatic infections.
   33. RNA virus 1955–
       A virus in which the genetic material is RNA rather than DNA.
   34. adenovirus 1956–
       Any of a group (formerly the genus Adenovirus, now the family Adenoviridae) of non-enveloped, double-stranded DNA viruses which are pathogens of…
   35. SV 1956–
       Simian virus: used, frequently with following numeral to identify the strain, as the designation of various viruses isolated from monkeys or cultures…
   36. arborvirus 1957–
       = arbovirus, n.
   37. enterovirus 1957–
       Any of a group (now the genus Enterovirus) of picornaviruses that primarily infect the gastrointestinal tract of humans and other mammals but which…
   38. foamy virus 1957–
       Any of a group (now the genus Spumavirus) of retroviruses which infect a number of mammal species (including humans), and which induce the formation…
   39. respiratory syncytial virus 1957–
       Any of a small group (now the genus Pneumovirus) of paramyxoviruses that cause syncytium formation in infected cells, and include several which…
   40. polyoma 1958–
       = polyomavirus, n. Frequently attributive.
   41. parainfluenza 1959–
       More fully parainfluenza virus: any of several species of paramyxovirus (genus Respirovirus) that cause respiratory infections in man and certain…
   42. reovirus 1959–
       Any member of the family Reoviridae of non-enveloped, double-stranded RNA viruses with a segmented genome and (usually) a double capsid…
   43. arbovirus 1960–
       Any of a large group of RNA viruses which are transmitted to vertebrates by blood-feeding arthropods such as mosquitoes and ticks; spec. a virus…
   44. cytomegalovirus 1960–
       Any of a group of herpesviruses which are species-specific pathogens of humans and various other mammals, and which produce distinctive enlargement…
   45. TMV 1960–
       Tobacco mosaic virus.
   46. vacuolating agent or virus 1960–
       vacuolating agent or virus: a papovavirus, originally obtained from rhesus monkey kidney tissue, which is capable of causing tumours in animals…
   47. Coxsackie virus 1961–
   48. rhinovirus 1961–
       Any member of the genus Rhinovirus, comprising picornaviruses which cause the common cold and other upper respiratory infections in humans. Also (in…
   49. RSV 1961–
       = respiratory syncytial virus, n.
   50. papovavirus 1962–
       Any member of a group of viruses (usually regarded as the family Papovaviridae) comprising the papillomaviruses and polyomaviruses, which are small…
   51. paramyxovirus 1962–
       Any member of a group (now the family Paramyxoviridae) of enveloped, single-stranded RNA viruses which have a non-segmented genome and envelope…
   52. picornavirus 1962–
       Any member of the family Picornaviridae of very small, non-enveloped, single-stranded RNA viruses which are pathogens of mammals and birds, and…
   53. mycophage 1963–
       Microbiology. A mycobacteriophage. rare.
   54. parvovirus 1965–
       Virology. Any member of the genus Parvovirus of very small, non-enveloped, single-stranded DNA viruses which are pathogens of mammals and birds…
   55. slow virus 1965–
       Any virus or virus-like agent that causes a slow virus disease (see slow, adj. II.11b); (in later use) esp. a lentivirus; also as a modifier.
   56. rhabdovirus 1966–
       Any member of a group (now the family Rhabdoviridae) of bullet- or rod-shaped, enveloped, single-stranded RNA viruses which include rabies virus…
   57. Ross River virus 1966–
       A mosquito-borne alphavirus endemic in parts of Australia and certain Pacific islands, causing epidemics of a human disease characterized by…
   58. green monkey disease 1967–
       = Marburg disease at Marburg, n. I.1.
   59. coronavirus 1968–
       Any member of a group (formerly a genus) of enveloped, single-stranded RNA viruses which have prominent projections from the envelope and are…
   60. EBV 1968–
       Epstein-Barr virus.
   61. Epstein–Barr virus 1968–
       An enveloped DNA herpes virus which causes infectious mononucleosis and is associated with Burkitt's lymphoma and nasopharyngeal carcinoma.
   62. leukovirus 1968–
       = retrovirus, n.
   63. CMV 1969–
       Cytomegalovirus.
   64. arenovirus 1970–
       = arenavirus, n.
   65. oncornavirus 1970–
       Any retrovirus that causes malignant disease (leukaemia, lymphoma, carcinoma, etc.).
   66. togavirus 1970–
       Any member of the family Togaviridae of enveloped, single-stranded RNA viruses, including the alphaviruses and rubella virus (genus Rubivirus).
   67. alphavirus 1971–
       Any member of the genus Alphavirus of antigenically related togaviruses that infect a wide range of mammals, birds, and other vertebrates, are…
   68. calicivirus 1971–
       Any of a group (formerly the genus Calicivirus, now the family Caliciviridae) of non-enveloped, single-stranded RNA viruses which have a capsid…
   69. Dane particle 1971–
       A spherical particle found in the blood of patients with hepatitis B, now recognized as the capsulated form of the virus responsible for the disease.
   70. flavivirus 1971–
       Any member of the genus Flavivirus of enveloped, single-stranded RNA viruses, most of which are arthropod-borne pathogens of mammals and birds…
   71. flavovirus 1971–
       = flavivirus, n.
   72. maedi 1971–
       In full maedi virus. = maedi-visna virus, n. Now rare.
   73. orbivirus 1971–
       Any member of the genus Orbivirus, comprising reoviruses with distinctive ring-shaped capsomeres, which are arthropod-borne pathogens of mammals…
   74. orthomyxovirus 1971–
       Any member of a group (originally the genus Orthomyxovirus, now the family Orthomyxoviridae) of enveloped, single-stranded RNA viruses which have a…
   75. mycovirus 1972–
       A virus that infects fungi.
   76. visna-maedi virus 1972–
       Infection of sheep or goats by the visna-maedi virus, a lentivirus which may give rise to visna or maedi; cf. maedi-visna, n.
   77. flu virus 1973–
       = influenza virus, n.
   78. maedi-visna virus 1973–
       The lentivirus that causes maedi and visna; also called visna-maedi virus, visna virus (cf. maedi, n. 2).
   79. corona 1974–
       A coronavirus; (now) esp. that which causes Covid-19. Also: infection with or disease caused by a coronavirus; (now) esp. Covid-19. Frequently as a…
   80. orthopoxvirus 1974–
       Any member of the genus Orthopoxvirus, comprising serologically related poxviruses which infect various species of mammal and cause typical pox…
   81. rotavirus 1974–
       Any member of the genus Rotavirus of wheel-shaped reoviruses which are pathogens of a wide range of mammals and birds, typically causing severe…
   82. whitepox 1974–
       More fully whitepox virus. A virus isolated from monkey tissue, originally believed to be a new orthopoxvirus but later recognized to be smallpox…
   83. retravirus 1975–
       = retrovirus, n.
   84. Ebola virus 1976–
       A tropical African filovirus known to infect humans and certain other primates, causing epidemics of severe, usually fatal haemorrhagic fever in…
   85. morbillivirus 1976–
       Any member of the genus Morbillivirus of serologically closely related paramyxoviruses which cause the formation of intranuclear inclusions, and…
   86. retrovirus 1976–
       Any member of the family Retroviridae of enveloped, single-stranded RNA viruses possessing the enzyme reverse transcriptase, which allows…
   87. Ebola 1977–
       Ebola virus; Ebola fever.
   88. lentivirus 1979–
       Any member of a group (now the genus Lentivirus) of non-oncogenic retroviruses which includes the viruses responsible for certain slow virus…
   89. reassortant 1979–
       A reassortant virus.
   90. HTLV 1980–
       Human T-cell lymphotropic or lymphocyte virus: any of several retroviruses (HTLV-1, HTLV-2, etc.) of which one at least (HTLV-3, also called HIV-1)…
   91. morbilli 1981–
       = morbillivirus, n. Frequently attributive, esp. in morbilli group.
   92. filovirus 1982–
       Any member of the family Filoviridae of enveloped, single-stranded RNA viruses with pleomorphic filamentous particles, which cause severe, often…
   93. hepatitis D 1983–
       (More fully hepatitis D virus) a very small, circular RNA virus resembling a plant viroid, which can replicate only in the presence of hepatitis…
   94. LAV 1983–
       Lymphadenopathy-associated virus (a former name for the virus now called HIV-3).
   95. hepatitis delta 1984–
       = hepatitis D, n.
   96. CV 1985–
       A coronavirus; (now) esp. the coronavirus which causes the disease Covid-19. Also: the disease Covid-19.
   97. HIV 1986–
       Human immunodeficiency virus, a retrovirus (genus Lentivirus) which chronically infects cells of the human immune system and causes AIDS, and…
   98. HIV/AIDS 1986–
       HIV infection and AIDS considered as a spectrum or a single entity.
   99. human immunodeficiency virus 1986–
       = HIV, n.
   100. HIV virus 1987–
        = HIV, n. 1.
   101. winter vomiting bug 2002–
        Gastroenteritis caused by a norovirus, occurring especially during the winter (cf. winter vomiting disease, n.); (also) norovirus itself.
   102. coronavirus 2003–
        spec. Any of the coronaviruses (genus Betacoronavirus) responsible for outbreaks of life-threatening respiratory disease in humans, esp. the major…
   103. Schmallenberg virus 2011–
        An RNA virus affecting cattle, sheep, and other domesticated ruminants in western Europe, thought to be transmitted by midges and causing…
   104. C-19 2020–
        The disease Covid-19; (also) the coronavirus which causes this. Frequently as a modifier, as in C-19 pandemic, C-19 virus, etc.
   105. Covid 2020–
        The disease Covid-19; (also) the coronavirus which causes this. Frequently as a modifier, as in Covid case, Covid crisis, Covid patient, etc. Cf. Cov…
   106. Covid-19 2020–
        An acute disease in humans caused by a coronavirus, which is characterized mainly by fever and cough and is capable of progressing to pneumonia…
   107. CV-19 2020–
        The disease Covid-19; (also) the coronavirus which causes this. Frequently as a modifier, as in CV-19 pandemic, CV-19 virus, etc.
   View in Historical Thesaurus

## Pronunciation

### British English

/ˈziːkə/

### U.S. English

/ˈzikə/

####

##### 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.

## Forms

### Variant forms

Also with lower-case initial.

## Frequency

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

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

### Frequency of Zika, n., 1960–2010

* 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
--- | ---
1960 | 0.0059
1970 | 0.0071
1980 | 0.0079
1990 | 0.0079
2000 | 0.0092
2010 | 0.01

### Frequency of Zika, 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 | 0.6
2018 | 0.55
2019 | 0.5
2020 | 0.4
2021 | 0.29
2022 | 0.27
2023 | 0.23
2024 | 0.21

## Compounds & derived words

1. 1955–
   General attrib. and objective.
   1. 1955

      > The brains were..injected intracerebrally into six mice for each route of exposure for both the Zika group and Bwamba group.

      Transactions Amer. Microsc. Society vol. 74 79
   2. 1964

      > A rise in Zika neutralizing and CF antibodies was also found between a sample taken before the illness and the convalescent serum samples.

      Transactions Royal Society Tropical Med. & Hygiene vol. 58 337
   3. 2014

      > A few rare zika cases in French Polynesia had been linked to Guillain-Barre syndrome.

      Nelson (New Zealand) Mail (Nexis) 8 September 4
   4. 2016

      > Health officials have been accused of causing mass confusion for travellers with conflicting advice about whether pregnant women should travel to countries affected by the Zika outbreak.

      Daily Telegraph 3 February 2/1

Zika, n. was first published in March 2017.

Zika, n. was last modified in December 2024.