zerumbet, n.

zerumbet
http://www.oed.com/dictionary/zerumbet_n%3Ftab%3Dmeaning_and_use
Revised 2018

# zerumbetnoun

## Earlier version

- zerumbet in OED Second Edition (1989)

## Factsheet

### What does the noun zerumbet mean?

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

### How common is the noun zerumbet?

Fewer than 0.01occurrences per million words in modern written English

1780 | 0.0069
1790 | 0.0078
1800 | 0.0069
1810 | 0.0061
1820 | 0.0048
1830 | 0.0038
1840 | 0.0048
1850 | 0.0044
1860 | 0.0029
1870 | 0.0027
1880 | 0.0025
1890 | 0.0021
1900 | 0.0022
1910 | 0.0015
1920 | 0.0015
1930 | 0.0017
1940 | 0.0018
1950 | 0.0022
1960 | 0.0025
1970 | 0.0029
1980 | 0.0033
1990 | 0.0034
2000 | 0.0037
2010 | 0.0042

### How is the noun zerumbet pronounced?

#### British English

/zᵻˈrʌmbɛt/
zuh-RUM-bet

#### U.S. English

/zᵻˈrəmˌbɛt/
zuh-RUM-bet

### Where does the noun zerumbet come from?

Earliest known use

mid 1600s

The earliest known use of the noun zerumbet is in the mid 1600s.

OED's earliest evidence for zerumbet is from 1640, in the writing of John Parkinson, apothecary and herbalist.

zerumbet is a borrowing from Portuguese.

Etymons: Portuguese zerumbete, zerumbet.

### Nearby entries

1. zero-rated, adj. 1972–
2. zero rating, n. 1971–
3. zero sound, n. 1957–
4. zero-sum, adj. 1944–
5. zeroth, adj. 1850–
6. zero tillage, n. 1963–
7. zero tolerance, n. 1940–
8. zerovalent, adj. 1906–
9. zero waste, adj. & n. 1974–
10. zero-zero, adj. & n. 1930–
11. zerumbet, n.1640–
12. zest, n.¹ 1674–
13. zest, n.² 1706
14. zest, v. 1702–
15. zest, int. 1705–22
16. zester, n. 1963–
17. zestful, adj. 1797–
18. zestfully, adv. 1843–
19. zestiness, n. 1912–
20. zesty, adj. 1826–
21. zeta, n.¹?a1425–

## Etymology

### Summary

A borrowing from Portuguese.
Etymons: Portuguese zerumbete, zerumbet.
< Portuguese zerumbete (1563 as zerumbet in da Orta; compare quot. 1640) < zerumba (1516; ultimately < Persian zuruṃbā, zuruṃbād) + ‑ete ‑et suffix1.

Compare earlier zedoary n.…
< Portuguese zerumbete (1563 as zerumbet in da Orta; compare quot. 1640) < zerumba (1516; ultimately < Persian zuruṃbā, zuruṃbād) + ‑ete ‑et suffix1.

Compare earlier zedoary n.

### Notes

Compare post-classical Latin zerumbet (1574 in a translation from Portuguese), French zerumbet (1515 in Middle French as zerombec in a translation from Italian), Italian zerumba, zerumbet (16th cent.).
Compare also (reflecting the Persian vocalism) post-classical Latin zurumbet (1507 or earlier), zurumbeth (1522 or earlier) and Middle French zurumbet (1561 in a translation of a Latin text), and compare the following earlier examples of post-classical Latin zurumbet and zurumbeth in English contexts:

1. 1576

   > Take..of Seminis sancti, Benedictae,..Rhapontici Dioscoridis, Ciambet (an Zurumbet [Latin Zurumbet]) of each three drams & a halfe.

   G. Baker, translation of C. Gesner, Newe Jewell of Health iv. f. 221v
2. 1597

   > The Apothecaries do sell another Zedoaria differing from Anthora,..that..is thought to be Auicens and Serapios Zerumbeth, or Zurumbeth.

   J. Gerard, Herball ii. 820

Compare further Arabic zurunbāḏ (late 9th cent. or earlier; < Persian).
The following apparently shows isolated earlier borrowing of Portuguese zerumba:

1. 1555

   > Of the Apothecaries drugges: And of what price they are in Calicut and Malabar... Zerumba, the farazuola Fanan ii. Zedoaria, the farazuola Fanan i.

   R. Eden, Of Prices Precious Stones & Spices in translation of Peter Martyr of Angleria, Decades of Newe Worlde f. 238v

## Meaning & use

Now rare and chiefly historical.

1. 1640–
   The aromatic root of any of several plants of the genus Curcuma (family Zingiberaceae), esp. C. zedoaria, used (formerly) as a medicinal agent and spice. Also: the plant itself. Cf. zedoary n.
   1. 1640

      > Garcias ab Orta saith, that Zerumbet (or Zerumba..) groweth plentifully wild in Malavar Calecut, and Cananor.

      J. Parkinson, Theatrum Botanicum xvii. lv. 1612
   2. 1662

      > The Zerumbet..likewise growes in these parts, and is like to ginger.

      J. Davies, translation of A. Olearius, Voyages & Travels of J. Albert de Mandelslo ii. 151 in Voyages & Travels of Ambassadors
   3. 1694

      > Kua or Zerumbeth of our Shops, a Species of Ginger.

      Philosophical Transactions (Royal Society) vol. 18 278
   4. 1712

      > The Zedoary is the long Part of the Plant, serving as a root to the Zerumbeth.

      J. Browne, translation of P. Pomet et al. Compleat History of Druggs vol. I. 33
   5. 1763

      > Zerumbeth is a tuberose geniculated root,..of a whitish yellow colour, with an acrid taste, not unlike ginger, and a fragrant smell.

      R. Brookes, New System of Natural History vol. VI. 22
   6. 1861

      > The so-called Cassumunar roots, Zedoary roots, and Zerumbet roots of commerce.

      R. Bentley, Manual of Botany ii. iii. 668
   7. 1879

      > Curcuma Zerumbet..corresponds exactly in shape and taste and odour with specimens of zedoary or zerumbet root in the museum of this Society.

      Pharmaceutical Journal & Transactions 5 July 21/2
   8. 1909

      > Curcuma Zedoaria... This root was formerly used in Europe under the name of zerumbet root.

      Proceedings 57th Ann. Meeting Amer. Pharmaceut. Association 756
   9. 1983

      > Zerumbet was known to the Arabs, Persians and Turks by the name zerumba.

      K. S. Mathew, Portuguese Trade India 16th Century iv. 138
   10. 2014

       > Zerumbet..is no longer consumed, though its essential oil is used in perfumery.

       Econ. Times (New Delhi) 6 November
   herbalism pharmacology historical
   1. hypocistis a1425–1751
      The solidified juice of Cytinus hypocistis, a parasitic plant of the South of Europe, growing on the roots of Cistus: it contains gallic acid and…
   2. red sanders 1553–
      = red sanderswood, n. In later use also: the tree yielding this wood.
   3. sarsaparilla 1577–
      The dried roots of plants of the various species of Smilaceæ; esp. Jamaica sarsaparilla, Smilax officinalis; also, a medicinal preparation of the…
   4. langue de boeuf 1615
      Any of various plants, chiefly of the family Boraginaceae, having rough, tongue-shaped leaves, as viper's bugloss, Echium vulgare, borage, Borago…
   5. sarsa 1625–
      = sarsaparilla, n. 1. Also attributive.
   6. zerumbet 1640–
      The aromatic root of any of several plants of the genus Curcuma (family Zingiberaceae), esp. C. zedoaria, used (formerly) as a medicinal agent and…
   7. Winter's cinnamon 1673–
      Winter's bark (see Winter's bark, n. 1).
   8. cascarilla 1686–
      The bitter aromatic bark of the plant Croton eleuteria, used as a tonic. Also called cascarilla bark.
   9. Winteran bark 1694–1890
      attributive, in Winteran bark: Winter's bark (see Winter's bark, n.).
   10. simarouba 1733–
       The bark of the root of a tropical American tree of the genus Simarouba (more fully simarouba bark); a bitter tonic made from this, used esp. as a…
   11. hypocist 1751
       = hypocistis, n.
   12. Oswego tea 1752–
       The North American plant Monarda didyma (family Lamiaceae (Labiatae)), having scented leaves and showy red flowers; (also) a herbal tea made from…
   13. yellowroot 1755–
       Originally: (more fully Canadian yellowroot) the plant goldenseal, Hydrastis canadensis, of Canada and the northern United States; the yellow rhizome…
   14. calumba 1789–
       The root of Jateorhiza palmata (or Coccolus palmatus) family Menospermaceæ, a plant indigenous to the forests of Mozambique, used in medicine as a…
   15. pipsissewa 1793–
       A North American and Eurasian plant with trailing stems and whorls of evergreen leaves, Chimaphila umbellata (family Pyrolaceae; also called prince's…
   16. prince's pine 1807–
       a. The pipsissewa, Chimaphila umbellata (family Pyrolaceae); b. the jack pine, Pinus banksiana (family Pinaceae).
   17. strychnine 1819–
       A highly poisonous vegetable alkaloid, C21H22N2O2, obtained chiefly from Strychnos Nux-vomica and other plants of the same genus. It is used in…
   18. strychnia 1823–
       = strychnine, n.
   19. false Winter's bark 1830–
       In full false Winter's bark. The aromatic bark of the wild cinnamon tree, Canella winterana (family Canellaceae), which is used medicinally, as a…
   20. strychnina 1838
       = strychnine, n.
   21. musk root 1844–
       Any of several plants with musk-scented roots, or the roots themselves: (a) the root of the sumbul, Ferula sumbul, used in medicine; †(b) the…
   22. sumbul root 1844–
       General use as a modifier, as in sumbul balsam, sumbul oil, sumbul root, etc.
   23. chirayta 1847–
       The bitter tonic obtained from this, used like quinine.
   24. Cusparia 1852–
       A genus of trees, now usually called Galipea, species of which yield the Angustura or Cusparia bark used as a tonic; also = cusparin, n.
   25. phytin 1905–
       An insoluble salt of phytic acid with calcium and magnesium, found in plant tissues, esp. cereals. Also more generally: the acid itself. Also (Phytin…
   26. boldo 1908–
       An evergreen tree of Chile, Peumus boldus; also, a medicinal preparation of the leaves of this tree, formerly used as a tonic.
   View in Historical Thesaurus
   1. zedoary Old English–
      Any of several species of the genus Curcuma (family Zingiberaceae), esp. C. zedoaria, which are native to south Asia and have aromatic, tuberous…
   2. setwall?c1225–1909
      Any of several species of the genus Curcuma (family Zingiberaceae), esp. C. zedoaria, which are native to south Asia and have aromatic, tuberous…
   3. curcuma 1617–
      a. Botany. A genus of Zingiberaceæ consisting of plants with perennial tuberous roots, furnishing various commercial substances, as zedoary, East…
   4. zerumbet 1640–
      The aromatic root of any of several plants of the genus Curcuma (family Zingiberaceae), esp. C. zedoaria, used (formerly) as a medicinal agent and…
   5. cassumunar 1693–
      The tuberous root of an East Indian plant (apparently Curcuma aromatica Salisb., C. Zedoaria Roxb.); it is warm, bitter and aromatic, smells like…
   6. yellow zedoary 1754–
      Wild turmeric, Curcuma aromatica, which is native to south Asia and has an aromatic, tuberous rhizome; (also) the root of this plant, typically…
   7. Bengal root 1826–
      In the names of plants, animals, and natural and artificial products native to, originating from… The tuberous root of either of two South Asian…
   View in Historical Thesaurus

## Pronunciation

### British English

/zᵻˈrʌmbɛt/
zuh-RUM-bet

### U.S. English

/zᵻˈrəmˌbɛt/
zuh-RUM-bet

####

##### 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

1. 1600s–1700s
   zerumbeth
2. 1600s; 1800s–
   zerumbet

## Frequency

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

zerumbet 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 zerumbet, n., 1780–2010

* 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
--- | ---
1780 | 0.0069
1790 | 0.0078
1800 | 0.0069
1810 | 0.0061
1820 | 0.0048
1830 | 0.0038
1840 | 0.0048
1850 | 0.0044
1860 | 0.0029
1870 | 0.0027
1880 | 0.0025
1890 | 0.0021
1900 | 0.0022
1910 | 0.0015
1920 | 0.0015
1930 | 0.0017
1940 | 0.0018
1950 | 0.0022
1960 | 0.0025
1970 | 0.0029
1980 | 0.0033
1990 | 0.0034
2000 | 0.0037
2010 | 0.0042

zerumbet, n. was revised in June 2018.

zerumbet, n. was last modified in March 2025.